Anima Animus: English Only Version
by bestrclfanficshere
Summary: Evolution of the romance between Ryu and Chun Li. This version has no Japanese by reader request. Rated M for language, violence and lemons. Comments are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1: It Begins

**Note**: Japanese words in the original version are written in italics here.

* * *

The streets of Sapporo were filled with hundreds of people, tourists and natives alike, who had all come for the opening of the _cherry blossom viewing_ season that heralded the coming of spring. The 1500 plus cherry trees that had made Murayama Park famous as the best site for _cherry blossom_ viewing swayed gently in the wind, turning the entire park into a fragrant pink pavilion. Some visitors milled about to marvel at the blossoms while others had settled under the trees with food and wine. As part of the festival this year, Hokkaido had been chosen as the site of an exhibition fight that was open to all levels of mixed martial artists. Fighters from all over the world, as well as MMA enthusiasts had flocked to the city, eager to both show their skills and to size up the talent from across the globe. Today, they would enjoy the scenic beauty of the park. Tomorrow would mark the first day of the exhibition.

Ramen stands peppered the city, their owners hoping to capitalize on the influx of tourists. At one of them, a blonde couple was sitting at the makeshift counter. Though the slim, elegant woman picked at her noodles, her significant other was eating with gusto, shoveling ramen with incredible speed into his mouth with his chopsticks. His girlfriend sighed and attempted to wipe his face with a napkin, which did little to deter his enthusiasm.

"Ken, _please_ slow down. You'll choke!"

"No way," he mumbled through a mouthful of noodles. "Babe, you don't understand, the packaged stuff doesn't hold a candle to the real thing." He downed the soup at the bottom of the bowl and shouted to the old man behind the counter, "_Hey_! _Gramps_! Keep it coming!" He let out a loud belch and sighed contentedly while his girlfriend made a face. "Reminds me of visiting my grandparents as a kid, I don't think I ate anything else."

"Until _Master_ Gouken made you eat plain food."

Ken turned around at the sound of the familiar voice and his face broke into a wide grin. "Ryu, how you been, Buddy?" He gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder as a greeting.

"_Good_," Ryu replied. "_Good day_, Eliza," he said, bowing in her direction.

"Oh for Chrissake, it's just Eliza!" Ken laughed. "Lighten up, Ryu."

"What do you mean **just**?" Eliza retorted, shooting him a look.

"Hey what's with the _Japanese_, man? You gotta keep practicing your English, you still got that accent - Oof!" Ken rubbed his ribs where Eliza's elbow had just planted itself.

"Sorry," Ryu said. "I will try to do better."

"And stop apologizing all the time, will ya?" Ken ran his hand through his blonde mop. "You'd think after all these years you'd loosen up."

"My apologies." Ken slapped his forehead while Eliza giggled.

"Dude, are you wearing jeans?" Ken had almost failed to notice that Ryu was wearing modern clothing. Instead of his usual tattered _karate uniform_, Ryu sported a plain white T-shirt, cross trainers and a pair of jeans, but his trademark red _headband_ remained. Ken nodded approvingly. "Welcome to the 21st century man."

"I did not wish to attract any unnecessary attention," Ryu explained.

"Contractions, man, use contractions," Ken instructed. His tone brightened. "You psyched about the matches tomorrow?" He jumped on Ryu and grabbed him in a playful choke hold. "Not that you get psyched about much anyway, not to mention that we both know who's the best fighter around." His attention was diverted by something behind Ryu. "Hey! It's that Chinese chick - Ow!" He glared at Eliza. "What'd I say now?"

"Don't say 'chick', sweetie," Eliza admonished. "It's sounds uncouth."

"Moi? Uncouth? I'm outraged!" Ken leaned over to Ryu and mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, "Hey, what does uncouth mean, bro?"

"_I don't know_," Ryu muttered in reply. He turned to look at the woman his friend had pointed out. He had seen her compete in several tournaments, but neither he nor Ken had ever fought her, despite her reputation as one of the most skilled female martial artists in the world. She usually competed in a blue qipao, but today she was simply attired in a white sundress. The ribbons that held her hair in place danced lightly in the breeze. She plucked a blossom from the tree nearest her and pondered on it before delicately inhaling its scent. Seeing her this way, out of her fighting garb, Ryu felt a strange air of sadness about her.

Ken threw an arm around Eliza. "Good thing you're so hot, Baby," he drawled. "If I was a free man, I'd have to go over there and introduce myself."

"If you were a free man, she'd probably not be into loudmouth three quarter Japanese guys whose eyebrows are a different color than their hair," Eliza shot back.

"Oh I don't know, Babe," Ken chuckled. "You never seemed to mind that the curtains don't match the drapes." He noticed that Ryu was still studying the lady. "Wey-hey-hell, maybe she'd like a quiet, all Japanese guy, eh Ryu? You should go talk to her. She looks like she can handle you."

"_That's okay_," Ryu demurred. "I – _Hey_! Where are you going?"

Ken was already walking towards the woman. "Just going over to say hi," he waved nonchalantly with a wink.

"_Idiot_!" Ryu hissed under his breath. "Get back here!" But he was too late. Ken had begun to engage her in his usual lively way and he managed to elicit a small smile from the lady. Much to Ryu's dismay, he began walking her back to the ramen stand.

"Lady, gentleman, allow me to introduce Ms. Chun Li. Chun Li, this is my girlfriend Eliza." She gave a small bow in her direction. "And this is my good friend, Ryu."

"Yes, I know," she replied with a small smile. "You've won many tournaments so your reputation precedes you." Ken seemed a bit annoyed that she acknowledged only Ryu's fighting skills. Up close, Ryu could see that she was actually quite tall, only a few inches shorter than him in her ballet shoes.

"Thank you," Ryu said, bowing towards her. "You have quite a reputation for winning as well." She smiled at his compliment, and this time her smile reached her eyes, which were a warm brown color.

"So," Ken broke in loudly," I was telling Chun here that we should show her around since you know the area so well. Not much time left before the matches start, right, Ryu?" He clapped his friend loudly on the back. "We should all go to dinner tonight somewhere nice. You pick the place, Buddy and we'll go there. All the fighters are staying at the same hotel se we can all just meet there." He smiled broadly, obviously quite pleased with himself.

Bowing, Chun Li explained that she had a matter to attend to and thanked the group for their invitation. As she walked away, Ken hooted gleefully but then stopped abruptly when he noticed the glum look on Ryu's face. "Yo, you should be thanking me, man. I took care of the hard part."

Ryu sighed. "_It can't be helped_. I will try to find a suitable place to eat."

"Pick a pricey joint," Ken encouraged. "Dinner's on me! Come on, Babe," he said, steering Eliza away. "I think I need a nap after all that ramen."

* * *

Back at the hotel, Chun Li opened her laptop to check her email. The screen read one new message. "Damn," she whispered, after reading it. Closing the screen, she stood up and walked to the bathroom. She needed a shower before going to dinner, and tomorrow was going be a long day. Slipping her sundress over her head, she turned the faucet on and stepped into the shower stream.

* * *

Ryu unlocked the door to his room and stepped inside. Ken could be so ridiculous at times, but like it or not, he could not be rude, so he set about brainstorming ideas of places to eat. There was a traditional Japanese inn that had a very nice quaint feel to it. They could all have dinner inside one of the rooms and since they provided robes, he wouldn't have to wear western clothing, which was a plus. As he took off his shoes one by one he still wondered how it could feel so foreign to him, but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a keening scream from down the hall. It was a woman's voice. Dropping his sneaker, he ran out of the room into the hallway. Following the sound, he stopped in front of the door that the noise was emanating from and by the sound of things, there was one hell of a fight going on inside. The sound of breaking furniture coupled with the shouting of the people inside was becoming more and more frenzied. Turning the knob, he found the door was still locked. "_Hey_!" he shouted into the door, "are you okay in there?" There was no answer as the ruckus inside continued unabated. "_Shit_!" Rearing back, he kicked the door in and was greeted by the sight of Chun Li desperately trying to simultaneously fight and cover her naked body with a towel, and neither battle was going well. Her attacker was masked and he slashed at her with a three pronged set of blades attached to his right hand. With a cry, he lunged at her and tore the tattered remains of her hotel issued towel away from her. Instinctively, she covered her bloody body with her arms and the masked man shot forward, attempting to take advantage of her vulnerability.

Closing her eyes, Chun Li crouched close to the ground covering her breasts and awaited the blow to come but they flew open when she heard a second voice.

"_Stop_!"

She looked up to see Ryu jump between her and her masked opponent. Dodging the blades, he delivered a swift barrage of punches, knocking the man's mask off his face. One of his punches connected squarely with his nose, causing her assailant to reel back.

"MY FACE!" he screamed shrilly. "You hit my beautiful FACE!" Blood began to trickle from his nose. Holding his face with his free hand, he turned and fled the room.

Ryu knelt by Chun Li who was still trying to maintain some semblance of modesty and scooped her up. Her cuts were so numerous that her blood quickly soaked his t-shirt. "Are you alright?" She gave no answer and went limp in his arms.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" roared a voice from behind him. Ryu turned with the unconscious Chun in his arms to see a very large man with a blonde flattop dressed in camo fatigue trousers and a wife beater that was altogether two sizes too small for him. "What did you do to her?" he demanded, running into the room.

"No, I - ." His sentence was cut short as the large man's fist attempted to land on his face. "Stop!" It was becoming harder and harder to dodge while holding Chun Li.

A small voice stopped them both in their tracks. "Guile," she whispered, "it's okay. He wasn't the one who did this to me."

Guile covered her body with a sheet. "Who did this?"

"A masked man with a large snake tattoo on his chest and arm," Ryu answered, laying Chun Li down on the mattress of her bed.

"That fucker, Vega again!" Guile growled. "Chun Li!" She slipped out of consciousness again. "Go get some hot water and clean towels!" he shouted at Ryu. "I'll be right back."

Minutes later, Guile had cleaned and closed most of Chun Li's wounds with sticking plaster. Fortunately, only a few of the cuts required stitches, which he sutured expertly despite having such large fingers. Without looking up from his work, he asked, "And you are?"

"Ryu," he replied. "I heard her scream and I came to see what happened."

Guile's face broadened in a smile. "The guy who beat Sagat? Well, between saving Chun and kicking Sagat's ass you're fine by me. I hate that guy, he's such a fucking tool." He smoothed a stray lock of hair off of Chun Li's face. "She works for Interpol. We worked on a case together a few years ago and she's been the closest thing I have to a sister since." Chun Li stirred. "Hey, Beautiful. Bad news - I had to put a few stitches in you and I'm not a plastic surgeon so it might leave a few scars."

Chun Li reached up to stroke his cheek lightly with a bandaged hand. "_Shyeh_ _shyeh_, Guile."

Smiling, he patted her hand, which was dwarfed by his enormous one. "No problem, Chun. Apparently there are a couple of Shadowlaw informants lurking in this place. I'm going to go check it out." Standing up he turned to Ryu. "Look after her for now will you? Normally she's a hellcat but in her condition I don't think she can defend herself." Ryu nodded solemnly. "Rest up, Chun. And you," he looked pointedly at Ryu. "If anything happens to her there's going to be a lot more blood on that shirt of yours." With that, he sprinted out the door, the thudding of his boots echoing in the hallway.

"He is good to you," Ryu ventured.

Chun Li smiled wanly. "He's a wonderful friend. Don't let his size fool you, or his mouth. He's one of the gentlest people I know."

Ryu smiled back at her. Even with her face bruised, she was still quite lovely and he suddenly felt oddly protective of her. "Rest." Picking up the phone, he rang the front desk, informing them of what had happened. A hotel manager arrived to survey the damage.

"My most sincere apologies, Ryu-_sama_," he blurted. "We have a new room made up for her a few floors up."

"_Good_." Scooping her bandaged body gently, he took the key to the new room in his teeth and headed for the stairwell. He tried not to jostle her as he opened the door to the staircase.

"Why are you taking the stairs?" Chun asked softly.

"In case someone else is waiting to hurt you," Ryu explained as best he could with the key between his lips. He carried her effortlessly up two flights and into her new suite. He seated her on the bed and brought out a plain bathrobe from the bathroom. "_Um_," he hesitated, wondering if she was even strong enough to dress herself.

She smiled at him again, with understanding. "You've already seen everything, Ryu, and you don't strike me as the type to take advantage of a woman. Please, help me into it?"

"Mm," was all he could say as he nodded. He'd never seen a woman naked before, at least, not so completely. His nomadic lifestyle had never left much room for women. Though covered in bandages, her body was still beautiful, with a flat stomach and strong legs. He tried not to look at her breasts, staring up at the ceiling as he helped her into the robe. He heard a small laugh tinkle in his ears.

"Thank you for being such a gentleman, Ryu," Chun smiled.

"You are welcome," was all he could think to say. He felt his face turning red. Her skin was soft and very warm. He continued to look upwards until he finished tying the robe.

Chun watched him walk over to the phone. "Room service?" She smiled again. She liked how he talked. It sounded more like "Loom subeesoh?" He said a few sentences in Japanese and hung up the receiver. A knock came from the door and Ken peeked into the room.

"Holy crap, Ryu, what happened?" He saw Chun Li lying in the bed and ran over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine thanks," she said cheerfully.

"Who did this?"

"A man named Bega," Ryu replied.

"You mean Vega? Blonde Spanish pansy boy who's always checking himself out?"

"He was blonde, yes."

"Well, I guess dinner's a bust then," Ken mused, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Right, well you hold down the fort. Eliza and I'll come by later to check up on you. As he walked out, Ken nudged Ryu in the ribs and waggled his eyebrows. "Hey, no playing doctor while you two are alone, okay?"

"Why would I play a doctor?" Ryu asked, looking confused.

"Never mind."

* * *

Ryu turned on the light in the bathroom and noticed how bloody his shirt was. Pulling it off, he rinsed off some of the blood and dried himself with a towel. A knock came from the door. "Room service," a cheerful voice announced.

Opening the door, Ryu thanked the busboy and wheeled the cart inside. Chun tried to sit up. "What's this?"

Ryu lifted the cover of the tray to reveal a medium rare steak. "You lost much blood," he said matter of factly, pouring her a glass of red wine. "_Here_, drink. It will help you feel stronger." He began cutting the meat into small bites.

Chun Li felt like the whole experience was all too surreal. Arguably the most talented martial artist in the world was sitting shirtless in front of her trying to feed her. It was endearing how everything he did appeared to require his full concentration. He was completely focused on the steak. Sensing her gaze, he looked up. "What is it?" He asked.

"Nothing. I'm just grateful for your help," she replied as he held out a forkful of steak to her. She was rewarded with a genuine smile.

* * *

After Ken and Eliza had left, Chun had fallen asleep. Ryu sat on the floor samurai style, attempting to meditate. Typically this had never been a problem for him, but his thoughts kept straying to the events of the day. Behind him, he heard her murmuring indistinctly in Mandarin. Talking in her sleep, she must be dreaming, he thought. All of a sudden, she screamed and her eyes flew open. Jumping to his feet, he ran to the bedside. "Are you okay?" Chun Li grabbed his arm, her eyes still staring blindly in front of her, breathing rapidly. Tears streamed from her eyes. "_What's wrong_? What is it?"

"No, no, please, no…" she kept muttering over and over again. Not knowing what to do, Ryu cradled her to him and stroked her hair softly. In a few minutes, she had fallen back asleep. The rhythmic sound of her soft breathing began to make him drowsy and he slipped into a deep sleep.

* * *

Ryu awoke confused. This wasn't his room. And there was someone with him in the bed. Looking down, he saw Chun Li snoring softly, her head nestled against his bare chest, her arms wrapped around his waist. Remembering the events of the night before, he felt a twinge of embarrassment sharing the same bed with her and he attempted to gently extricate himself from her grasp.

"Uh?" Chun Li's eyes fluttered open and she saw Ryu with one foot on the floor, trying to get out of bed. "Oh…"

"Ah, _my most sincere apologies_!" Ryu stammered. "You had a bad dream last night and…I…that is…"

Chun smiled and yawned, then winced. "It's okay, Ryu, I believe you." She almost laughed when she heard him let out an audible sigh of relief. He was actually quite handsome when embarrassed. "Are you fighting today?"

"_No_," he shook his head. "I will be fighting later in the week-"

He was interrupted by Guile's head as it poked through the door. "Chun, how are you fee-." Guile stopped mid sentence as he registered that Ryu was half in bed with Chun Li and not wearing a shirt. He shot him a suspicious look from beneath lowered brows.

"Not what you think, Guile," Chun Li reassured him.

"Seems to be a lot of that going around, lately," Guile muttered dryly. "As long as he's not being fresh."

"Did you find out anything?" She was eager for news.

"Oh yeah. Get this. Apparently Shadowlaw is here to find someone among the fighters. Not sure who though at this point, but apparently he's big news."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Is **he** here?"

"Dunno," Guile said. "But I'll keep an eye peeled for you."

"Thanks," she said, blowing him a kiss. "You're the best."

"Don't you forget it," Guile waved, walking out the door, but not before he had glowered at Ryu warningly once more and growled, "If I catch you taking liberties with her…"

Ryu put up both his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "I meant no disrespect."

"Damn right." And with that, he was gone.

Chun Li patted comforter beside her. "You'll have to excuse him. He can be a bit overprotective at times." Ryu shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "It's okay, Ryu, I don't bite."

Walking slowly over to her, he perched on the edge of the bed, wishing he didn't feel quite so silly. "Who is 'he'?"

A dark shadow flitted across her pretty face. "A murderer named Bison. The heartless bastard killed my father." Her voiced trembled with barely contained rage.

"I am sorry to hear it," Ryu said sympathetically.

"What about you Ryu?" She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them to her with her arms. "Do you have family here? Where in Japan do you call home?"

"I have no home."

"You're homeless?" The thought made Chun Li suddenly sad.

"No, no. I just never stay in the same place for very long." He gave a rueful smile.

"But what of your family?"

He was quiet for a moment before answering. "I have no family."

How sad, she thought. "What happened to them?" When he didn't answer, she chastised herself for being so nosey. He was Japanese after all, and likely not used to talking about such personal things with strangers. "I apologize, Ryu. Forget I asked."

Ryu looked at her sitting up in her bandaged state, hugging her knees, with a sad smile on her face and realized that she looked sad for him. It stirred a feeling in him that he had never known before. "No, you did nothing wrong." He looked down at his fists. "I never knew my parents. The earliest memory I have is training in the mountains with my sensei. I met Ken when he came to train with him. They are the only family I have ever known."

There was something very vulnerable about him when he said this. Suddenly, the warrior sitting next to her vanished and she saw a small boy with no one in the world and it made her heart ache for him. "I'm sorry, Ryu."

"_That's okay_," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Since I have no family, I am free to go where I wish."

"And where do you wish to go?"

"Wherever there is an opponent who can help me become a stronger fighter," he replied.

She rested her chin on her knees. "Don't you ever get lonely?"

Her question struck him as odd. What was even stranger was that he had never felt lonely in his life, that he could remember, but here, sitting in her presence, he realized that was the unfamiliar feeling that he was experiencing. "No, never."

Chun Li tilted her head to one side as she searched his face. "What gives you meaning in life, then?"

Another strange question. "Fighting, training. Trying to become the best fighter there is, to be strong." The answer had always come easily to him, but for some reason, when she asked him the question, his answer felt somewhat empty to him.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I would be so lonely, wandering the world like that. I miss my father so much. He was the one who taught me to fight. Now I feel that I can't move forward in my life until I make Bison pay for what he did to him."

Ryu noticed a small stain appearing along the side of her white terrycloth bathrobe. "You are bleeding."

She looked at her side. "The dressing probably needs to be changed. Would you mind helping me?"

"_Hai_." He went into the other room and returned with fresh gauze. Chun Li untied the knot of her robe and laid on her side, facing away from him. He gently slid the robe off her hip, trying not to look at the curves of her backside, but this was difficult to do considering the wound was on her lower back. Peeling off the old dressing, he attempted to professionally apply a fresh one. He was surprised to see goose bumps rise where he touched her, and a light pink flush colored her skin. For an instant, he caught himself contemplating touching her skin, but he forced himself to clear his head. _Baga_! he berated himself. He had always prided himself on his self-control but he was unsettled to find his mind wandering so.

He had just finished tying her robe shut when Ken burst into the room. "Hey, buddy. Thought you needed some fresh duds so I got you this." With a grin, he brandished a black T-shirt that read _Long Live Imperial Japan_. "Hope it's your size!"

Ryu held the shirt awkwardly in his hand. "Ken, I cannot wear this," he mumbled.

Ken flapped his hand in a pooh-pooh gesture. "Don't be ridiculous! Nothing wrong with a little _Japanese pride_." As Ryu reluctantly pulled the shirt on, Ken announced, "Well, I can't stand around chatting all day. Got a fight in fifteen minutes. I think it's Dan, so it should be a good laugh, especially since I loosened one of the stitches in his pants. _See ya_!"

Chun Li laughed and Ryu couldn't help but smile a little. "He's very funny," she said when she had finished.

"Yes," Ryu agreed. "He is like a brother to me." He looked down at the white kanji on his shirt. His tone was embarrassed. "I apologize if this offends you."

Chun actually thought the shirt fit him quite nicely, text aside, but she simply told him that it was fine.

* * *

Amidst the sakura trees, a makeshift ring had been set up and spectators crowded and craned their necks to get a better view of the fighters. Wearing his signature red _karate uniform_, Ken tried to appear bored as he signed autographs.

"Masters, how the hell did **you** get invited to this thing?"

Ken turned around to see Dan smirking at him, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Probably because they needed some real talent to even out the losers," he said to his pink-clad friend.

Dan scratched his forehead pointedly with his middle finger. "Imma tear you a new one, Masters."

Beat you to it, Ken thought with a smug smile. Facing off in the ring, the two men knocked their fists together as cordially as their competitive natures would allow and assumed a fighting stance.

"KEEEEEEYAHHHH!" Dan took a running start at Ken and attempted to score a few punches.

Ken easily dodged his fists and scoffed, "Is that all you got? A blind man with his arms tied behind his back would be more of a challenge than you. _SHORYUKEN_!!"

Dan landed flat on his back and after shaking his head to clear it, he jumped on his feet again. "Oh yeah? Take this!" He ran forward and attempted a high kick to Ken's chest. As he raised his leg, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face as he heard a distinct ripping noise. Laughter began to grow behind him. "Eh?" Putting his head between his legs, he noticed the rent in his pants that allowed the crowd a plain view of his pink and red striped boxers. "Aw crap!" he wailed, his face turning as pink as his pants.

Ken nearly fell over laughing. "At least you color coordinate, man!" he shouted between guffaws, as Dan tried in vain to hold the hole closed. Suddenly, he felt an odd presence from the crowd. "Huh?" He surveyed the spectators, looking for the source of the strange energy. So intently was he scanning the audience, that he didn't notice Dan behind him until he had kicked his legs out from underneath him.

"Make a fool of me, will ya?" Dan spat, elbowing Ken squarely in the chest. "Now we're even." He stormed off, his rear still visible through the rip in his pants.

Ken sat up and dusted himself off. The foreign presence had gone almost as quickly as it had come. "_It can't be_…"

* * *

Night crept over the Sapporo and slowly the city lights illuminated the streets, forcing back the curtain of darkness. Off in the distance, a pair of red eyes watched the sight and from the dark void came a low growl, "Ryu…"

* * *

Ryu sat up suddenly in his bed and looked around the room, wondering why he felt so disturbed inside. Hearing him stir, Chun Li's voice floated sleepily from the bed above, "Are you okay?"

Settling back onto the blanket he had laid at the foot of her bed, he tried to brush off the strange sensation. "I am fine. I am sorry to wake you."

"Okay." She snuggled back into her blanket and was back asleep in an instant.

Troubled, Ryu was unable go back to sleep. Something wasn't right. He stood up quietly from the floor and went over to the window. A full moon hung low in the night sky, casting a clean silver light into the room. He looked over to see Chun Li's sleeping form bathed in a glow of moonlight and again, the feeling of loneliness washed over him, stronger this time. It confused him. There was something so calm and peaceful about being near her. It felt nice but the level of distraction she was causing him was disconcerting. She must have felt him watching her as she opened her eyes to see him staring at her. Ryu felt like he had been caught looking at something he shouldn't have. "_Sorry_!" he said, averting his eyes.

She smiled drowsily and patted the empty space on the bed next to her. "You don't have to sleep on the floor." Had it been any other woman, Ryu would have balked at the inappropriateness of the situation, but he was surprised to feel his heart beat faster at the offer. Sensing his hesitation, she joked, "Don't make me pull you over here. Guile will be mad if I make my injuries worse." Haltingly he approached her and after what seemed like an eternity he joined her under the covers. She settled herself in the crook of his arm. "See? It's not so bad…" Her voice trailed off as she drifted back to sleep. Feeling her warm body curled up against his, Ryu knew that he would not fall asleep for some time.

The next morning, Chun Li awoke to the sound of running water. "Ryu?"

"_Good morning_." Ryu emerged from the bathroom holding a large fluffy towel. "Would you like a bath?"

Chun Li couldn't help but smile at his kind and solicitous gesture. She held her hand out to him and he supported her as she walked to the bathroom. Inside, the tub had been filled with bubble bath. Ryu gestured fraternally to the tub and again staring at the ceiling, he helped her in after she let her robe fall. Now that she was sitting in a pile of foam, it was easier for him to look at her. Tilting her head back he gently ran warm water over her hair. He was shocked to find that it made him smile to hear her sigh contentedly as he gingerly washed her long brown tresses. "You spoil me, " she murmured happily. He couldn't help a smile of his own, and continued to wash her hair in silence. He dried her off as respectfully as he could and helped her into a set of hotel pajamas. Her hair wrapped in a towel, he sat her back on her bed and wheeled over a tray with pieces of toast and coffee. "You'd make a wonderful father," she said warmly. Ryu stopped buttering a piece of toast and seemed lost in thought. "Did I say something wrong?" Chun asked.

"No," he reassured her with a smile. "I just never thought of being a father before." A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. "_Hai_?"

Guile strode into the room, and seeing Chun Li smiling, his steely gaze softened. Kissing her lightly on her cheek in greeting, he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better now," she said, chewing on a piece of toast. "It's nice when you have your very own nurse."

"Well, things seem to have quieted down a bit. I imagine you need some rest, eh Ryu?" Guile observed. Chun Li felt a small wave of disappointment. Ryu cleared his throat and nodded stiffly. "I got babysitting duty today, man," he said jovially. "You go do what you gotta do."

"_I thank you_," Ryu said bowing. "_Goodbye_, my friends." Chun Li again felt another twinge of disappointment. He seemed to have no desire to stay longer with her. Her thoughts were not lost on Guile.

"You like this guy," he told her, when Ryu was out of earshot.

Chun Li felt the blood rise in her cheeks. "I do not, I'm just grateful to him for being so kind to me."

"Don't bullshit me, Chun. I saw the look on your face when he left." He smiled at her. "Can't say I'm not a little jealous." She blushed furiously again. His tone became serious for a moment as he admonished, "Just be careful okay? He doesn't strike me as the type to settle down." She said nothing as she finished the remainder of her toast, which suddenly tasted quite dry.

* * *

Back in his own room, Ryu was changing into his _karate uniform_ when Ken turned up outside his door. His top half on, he opened the door and Ken rushed inside. "_What's wrong_, Ken?"

For once, Ken's face displayed not a trace of humor. "Did you feel something strange last night?" Ryu answered with a nod. "Hmm, me too. You know, the last time I felt like this was right before _Master_ Gouken was killed."

Ryu felt a chill run through him and his obi fell from his hand. "Gouki…" he whispered.

Picking up his belt, Ken handed it back to his friend. "I hope not. I hope I'm wrong and it was nothing. Just keep your eyes open, okay?"

Nodding, Ryu knotted his obi around his waist. "I have not practiced in a few days. Come spar with me." Ken patted him on the back and they walked out of the hotel together.

"_Heyyyyyyyyy_!"

A large man with kabuki paint on his face greeted them outside the main entrance. "Honda-_san_, _how have you been_?" Ryu said with a friendly bow.

"_Lonely_," the large sumo wrestler lamented. "Ah Ryu-_kun_, how lucky you are to fight. They won't allow me to register because according to them, sumo wrestling isn't a martial art." His face wore a hurt expression.

"Aw don't feel too bad," Ken reasoned. "It's not like there's a cash prize or anything."

"_I guess_," Honda said with a resigned tone.

"_Come on_," Ryu suggested. "We are going to practice. Even if you cannot compete, why not come and train with us? The expression on Honda's face brightened a little and he fell in step beside them. As they approached the ring, they caught sight of Guile pushing a wheelchair. Wearing a loose sweatsuit, Chun Li waved at them. "Chun Li," Ryu warned, "You should not be out of bed in your condition." Ryu thought he heard Ken snicker behind him.

"I don't know, she looks fine to me," Honda remarked. "_So pretty_!"

"I feel much better, Ryu. Don't worry about me."

"Yes, Ryu, don't worry about me," Ken simpered.

Feeling awkward, Ryu bowed and walked some distance away. "Ken! _Over here_!" Ken grinned at Chun Li and jogged over to where Ryu was standing.

Honda remained glued to Chun Li's side. "I think I will stay here for a moment." His smile vanished as he noticed Guile's icy glare. "Uh, hello…"

The two men, almost mirror images in their _gi's_, began practicing their katas in perfect unison. Soon there were more people observing them than the actual exhibition in the ring, but the attention did not faze their concentration. There was an elegant beauty to their precision, and Chun Li watched transfixed as they finished the series of movements. Turning to Ryu, Ken winked and shouted, "_Begin_!" Cheers erupted on all sides as the two men began sparring.

Guile bent down to Chun Li's ear. "Your boyfriend is pretty good," he teased.

Her cheeks colored. "Guile!"

"What? I didn't say anything."

A sudden hush from the crowd drew her attention. As the spectators parted, she could make out a large man in red. "Bison!" she hissed.

Guile whipped his head around. "Where?"

Ken and Ryu had ceased their sparring and had their fists readied against Bison. "So nice to see you again, Bison," Ken said sarcastically. "Looking for new Shadowlaw recruits?"

Bison smiled condescendingly. "It's no concern of yours. Why, were you interested in working for me again?"

Ken glared at him and retorted, "No, once was enough for ten lifetimes. As I recall, you're a pretty shitty employer."

He turned to see Chun Li staring at him, her eyes filled with daggers. "Ah, Chun Li. How have you been? And your family?"

"You cruel bastard!!" She attempted to jump out of the wheelchair but in her weakened stated she fell to the ground.

"Chun!" Guile knelt down to pick her up. Gently sitting her back in the wheelchair, he turned to Bison and growled, "Leave her alone, asshole."

Bison chuckled gamely. "Don't worry, Yank. She's not the one I'm after." He fixed his gaze on Ryu and smirked before walking away.

Ken asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Why'd he look at you?"

Ryu watched his vanishing figure. "I don't know."

* * *

Later that evening, Ryu knocked on the door to Chun Li's room. "Come in!" she shouted. Ryu opened the door to find her curled up next to Guile watching an old Spectre Man rerun. One of Guile's very large arms was casually slung over the sofa back behind her. An unpleasant churning began in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't place. Her face beamed when she saw him enter. "Ryu! Good to see you!"

Guile coughed discreetly and stood up. "This show sucks, I'm going for a walk. Holler if you need me, Princess." He closed the door behind him as he left.

Alone with her again, Ryu felt a multitude of different emotions and was unsure of what to do or say. All he could come up with was, "How are you?"

"Much better!" She showed him how well her wounds were healing. "Thank you so much again for all your help."

"Guile spends a lot of time with you, no?" As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it.

"Well, since Vega tried to kill me, I sort of need the extra help. It wasn't fair to have you watch me all the time. You don't even know me all that well." She flashed him an apologetic smile.

The lack of certainty he felt with her was maddening. He'd taken severe beatings, fought hundreds of martial artists, faced death on multiple occasions, and yet when it came to this woman, he felt very unsure of himself. "It was no trouble," was his lame reply. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, searching for something else to say. He was rescued by a beep from Chun Li's cell phone. A concerned look marred her pretty face. "What is it?"

"Guile just sent me a text message. He said that something urgent came up that couldn't wait. He told me to ask you to stay with me until he gets back."

Ryu walked over to her and looked at the screen on her phone. The text message read:

Hey, Chun

Something came up

that I have to deal

with right now. Give

this message to Ryu.

Hey, Ryu.

Keep an eye on her

til I get back. If you

don't and something

happens to her, I'll kick

yer ass into next

week.

Regards,

Guile

Ryu looked into Chun Li's face. "Sorry," she said in a small voice.

He tried to keep his face neutral in spite of the fact that he was grateful for the opportunity. "It is okay."

Chun Li gestured for him to sit next to her and pointed at the TV. "There are no subtitles. Can you translate for me?"

He grinned in spite of himself and sat next to her. "I will do my best," he promised.

* * *

The digital clock on the coffee table read 3AM. Chun Li had fallen asleep in his lap and Ryu was not sure when Guile would return. Careful not to disturb her, he carried her to the bed and pulled the covers over her. As he straightened, her hand grabbed his wrist. "Please don't leave me alone," she whispered.

Before, Ryu would have mentioned the obvious, that he would be right over there on the couch, but seeing the plaintive look in her eyes, he simply nodded and laid next to her. Her breathing slowed and she was asleep again. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and heard her mumble, "…Papa…" It made him incredibly sad to hear her call for her dead father and he held her a little tighter to him.

At about 4 AM, the door silently opened a crack and Guile peeked into the room to see Chun sleeping quietly next to Ryu. Smiling, he noiselessly closed the door and returned to his room.


	2. Chapter 2: Harbinger

Chun Li awoke the next morning alone in the bed. "Ryu?" she called out.

"Sorry, Sweetheart. Hate to disappoint you, but it's only me." She looked over to see Guile sitting on the sofa with his combat boots propped up on the coffee table, his arms behind his head.

"When did you get back?" She rubbed the remains of last night's sleep from her eyes.

Guile twirled his dog tags between his fingers. "Not too long ago." He grinned. "Your boyfriend was all apologies. In fact, I don't think I need to worry about him taking advantage of you if you didn't want it – he's so damn respectful and apologetic."

For some reason, the comment grated on her. "So what was it that you had to do last night?"

"High priority shit. Ran out of hair gel and had to do some serious recon to find more."

"Guile!"

He feigned a look of innocence and ran his hands over his flattop. "What? You don't think it was worth it?" Chun Li couldn't help laughing. Guile shrugged his enormous shoulders and put his arms behind his head again. "Well, I think it looks pretty damn sexy. I don't know what your problem is." He allowed himself a smile, as Chun Li laughed even harder. He became serious for a moment and took his feet off the table. "Did you enjoy yourself last night?"

She stopped laughing. Seeing him sitting there, looking at her so earnestly, she felt an admixture of sadness and love for him. She knew all too well how he truly felt about her and if she could have willed herself to reciprocate, she would have done so without hesitation. Nowhere else in her experience had she met anyone so constant and dedicated yet whatever the reason was, she could not return his affections. And yet, despite the fact that he knew she was attracted to another, he still acted only in the interests of her happiness. I don't deserve you, Guile, she thought regretfully to herself.

"Okay, based on how long it's taking you to answer my question, either you had a great time or it was boring as hell."

She had forgotten that he had asked her a question. "It was very nice," she volunteered, not wanting him to feel that she was inconsiderate of his feelings.

"Good." Guile shrugged his shoulders in mock disdain and rolled his eyes. "Not that I know what you see in that little shrimp, but I guess there's no accounting for taste." Grabbing one of the pillows, Chun Li lobbed it at his head. "Hey! Watch the hair! You have no idea what I had to go through to look this good!"

That set off another bout of giggles. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she held out her arms to him like a little girl. "Help me walk to the bathroom?"

"Alright." Guile crossed his arms in front of his chest. "But don't expect me to hold you up while you pee."

"Actually I was thinking number two."

"I'd put you in a diaper first."

* * *

"Ryu? Ryu! You butt-munch! Are you even listening to me?"

Ken's voice snapped Ryu out of his reverie. "_What was that_?"

"What the hell is the matter with you, man? I don't think you've heard a word I've said in the last fifteen minutes."

"_Sorry_."

Ken sighed and turned to Eliza. "What are we going to do with him? I've never seen him so out of it."

She had to admit, she had never seen Ryu as preoccupied as he was today. "Are you alright, Ryu?"

"Mm." He picked aimlessly at his breakfast, still lost in thought.

"…and then Chun Li got in the car with him - "

"Eh?" Ryu looked up at the mention of her name.

Ken had a triumphant smile plastered across his face. "Ha! Finally got your attention. Yo, are you **blushing**?" His sentence was cut short by a lightning fast slap to the back of his head by Eliza. "What are you, my mom?" She shot him a sideways warning glance and Ken decided to quit while he was ahead. He turned back to Ryu. "Anyway, so now we know Bison is here. Should have figured as much after Vega turned up. But why would he be interested in you? He knows you have like zero interest in working for him or Shadowlaw."

Ryu's brow furrowed. "I do not know what he wants with me."

"Maybe he wants to try another one of his little brainwashing schemes. Something tells me it wouldn't work on you though."

"Perhaps." He pushed back his chair and bowed to the both of them. "Please excuse me, I must train now." Ken and Eliza watched his retreating figure with mutual concern.

* * *

The _sakura_ blossoms had begun to fall from the trees, carpeting the ground in a soft pink blanket. It felt rather pleasant under Ryu's bare feet. After centering his mind, he began to go through his forms, his movements causing a flurry of petals around him. Despite trying to remain focused on his exercises, Ryu's thoughts kept straying back to Chun Li. It was difficult to leave her this morning, and come to think of it, it was becoming harder and harder not to think of her or spending time with her. Suddenly he could not remember which sequence of movements he had been working on. Annoyed, he willed himself to focus on his training, but the memories of lying next to her came unbidden into his thoughts. For a moment, he could have sworn he smelled her clean scent.

"_Good morning_."

Turning around, he saw her walking slowly towards him and immediately he was flooded by a myriad of emotions. Joy at seeing her stronger, concern for her wellbeing, wonder at how the mere sight of her now made his heart race. The number of feelings he was experiencing, as well as their intensity were overwhelming, and he struggled to maintain his composure.

"_Good morning_." His tone was more stern than he intended.

Her smile faded slightly as she noticed his impassive face. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine, thank you," was the flat reply.

The change in his demeanor was all too palpable and Chun Li wondered what she had done to make him act this way. Hoping to put him at ease, she pulled a cherry blossom off a branch near him. "In China this is a symbol of beauty."

Ryu looked at the flower and then at Chun Li's face. Her smile was so open and inviting that he felt himself relax his guard a bit. "In my country, it symbolizes the fragile and fleeting nature of life. It is delicate and beautiful, but it cannot last."

"What a sad way to look at something so beautiful."

"But that is the reality of the situation. They blossom and within days they are trodden on, their beauty forgotten." He gestured to the petals that littered the ground.

Chun Li's voice was sad. "That sounds so cold." Taking one of his hands, she placed the flower in his palm and closed his fingers lightly over it. "Things are forgotten only when they are allowed to be forgotten," she said, looking into his face. Her fingers lingered on his for a moment before she walked away.

For an instant, Ryu contemplated calling her back until he saw Guile's unmistakable form making its way towards Chun Li. Waving to her, Ryu watched him engulf her small body in a gentle hug that belied his formidable appearance. The way he looked at her and the smile she gave him caused a strange sensation within him. When he heard her laughing at something he said, he had the sickening realization that what he was experiencing was in fact jealousy. He was completely unaware of it, but he had clenched his fists while watching the two of them. Opening his hand, he saw that he had crushed the sakura blossom that she had given him and he could not understand why it suddenly made him quite sad to see the ruined remains of the flower in his palm. Looking up again, the pair were gone.

Anger suddenly welled up inside him. Desperate to dispel the aggression within himself, he punched the nearest cherry tree, uprooting it. It fell with a loud crash and sent up a cloud of petals that lazily drifted to the ground. Ryu tried to calm his ragged breathing, but he felt as if he were choking from the inside. He grabbed at his sides, feeling as though he would explode. From inside his head, he heard a menacing voice rumble, "Ryu…" Screaming in agony, he grabbed both sides of his head and fell forward unconscious.

* * *

Ryu awoke in his bed naked, but could not remember how he gotten back to the hotel or how he had gotten undressed. A cold compress had been placed on his head and his red _headband_ hung on the bedpost. He heard footsteps and looked up as Ken walked into the room with a glass of water. "You're finally awake," he said with relief. Sitting next to Ryu, he handed him the glass.

After taking a few sips, Ryu asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days."

"_What_?!" Ryu coughed on a mouthful of water.

Ken nodded. "Yeah. When you didn't come back to the hotel, Eliza got worried so she told me to go look for you. I found you in the park, lying face down, and I don't know what you were doing but the area looked like it had been hit by lightning."

"What do you mean?" Ryu was utterly confused.

"You were lying in the middle of this crater," Ken said incredulously. The whole thing was all black and scorched looking. You were actually still smoking when I found you. What the hell were you doing?"

"I don't know," Ryu said haltingly. "I do not remember."

"Hello?" Chun Li peered into the room. "May I come in?" Ryu felt himself bristle at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, hey, Chun," Ken greeted her. "Come on in." He lowered his voice before saying, "She's been worried sick about you, man, so be nice to her, okay?" His voice resumed its normal tone. "I'll give you two kids some privacy."

Chun Li sat on the spot that Ken had vacated, a tentative smile on her face. "How are you?"

"I am not sure," Ryu admitted. "Something happened to me. Something is happening to me."

She played with the edge of the blanket, unable to look at him. "I was so worried." Her voice shook slightly.

"I am sorry that I have caused you concern."

Her wounds must have healed for the most part because she suddenly leapt forward and hugged him fiercely. "I thought I would never see you again," she said, crying softly. "I was so afraid for you." He was so caught off guard by her reaction that for a moment he just sat frozen in place while she clung to him, but as he recovered from the shock, he felt himself slowly warp his arms around her. She hugged him even harder. "I'm so glad you're alright."

He wiped her tear-stained face with his hands. "Please, do not cry." She smiled at him and rested her head on his chest, still hugging him. He became acutely aware of how close she was to him. The combination of her pressing herself to him as well as her emotional display of concern began to manifest their effects on him and he was both surprised and somewhat horrified that his body was involuntarily responding. Overcome with embarrassment, he turned over on his stomach, nearly throwing her off the bed. Showing his back to her, he prayed that she hadn't seen it.

Not realizing that this was an attempt to hide his arousal, Chun Li felt a stab of rejection seeing him turn away from her. "I'm sorry, Ryu." Her tone was dejected. "I didn't mean to invade your space like that."

"No, no," he spoke through the pillow he had buried his face in. He didn't even want to imagine the shades of red he was turning. "My stomach hurts - that is all," was his muffled explanation.

Realizing that he was not in fact shunning her, she smiled again. "Here, let me take a look at i-"

"NO!!" Both of them were surprised by how loud his reaction was, even through the pillow. "That is, uh, I am sure it will be fine. I am probably just hungry."

She inched closer to him and put a consoling hand on his back, which did little to improve his situation. "Would you like me to bring you something?"

"No, no, I uh…I also have a headache. I think I just need some rest."

"Oh…alright." She reluctantly stood up. "I'll come back when you feel better."

Ryu was so intent on trying to meditate away his erection that he didn't even notice her leave. He heard the door again, and shouted, "I said I am fine!"

"Okay, man. No need to friggin' yell." Ken's voice sounded every bit as annoyed as his. "Dude, **why** are you suffocating yourself?"

"_Shuddup_! Leave me alone, please."

"That's gratitude for ya. So what did Chun Li say?" From deep within the pillow, Ken heard a loud, frustrated sigh escape. "What?"


	3. Chapter 3: Night Fight

Night had fallen again in Sapporo. As the city prepared itself for sleep, two bulky figures readied themselves for their nightly task. Their silhouettes dimly outlined by the moonlight, they set out to the hotel where the fighters were staying. On a rooftop, there was a clear view of the building and Bison scanned the structure while the giant of a man behind him looked this way and that.

"I don't like this," Balrog muttered uneasily. "Let's get out of here,I got a bad feeling."

"Shut up, you idiot," Bison growled. "It is precisely because of that bad feeling that we are here." He scanned the area intently again. "It's stronger than it was before. That bodes well for me."

Balrog glanced furtively around him. "So what exactly is it that we've been looking for these last coupla nights?"

"The missing piece that will render Shadowlaw unstoppable," was the enigmatic reply.

"Which is?"

Bison glared at him. "Imbecile! That is all that is required of you to know," he hissed impatiently. Balrog shrank back at his tone. A solitary figure standing on one of the hotel balconies was of particular interest to Bison. His red headband floated on the light evening wind. ''Yes, Ryu," he said with satisfaction, "set your rage free..." His attention then shifted to another room four floors up where he could see two people, a man and a woman backlit by the light. The corner of his mouth turned upwards in a smirk. "You could be quite useful as well. Balrog, come. We have some people to meet." The two slipped back into the darkness.

"It's beautiful out isn't it?" The moon was now waning and Chun Li twirled about in the cool night air. Guile shrugged blithely, but it did him good to see her up and about. She ran up to him and pulled at his arm. "Come on, you promised."

Guile pretended that he didn't know what she was talking about. "Promised what? I don't remember promising you anything."

Placing her hands on her hips, she scowled at him. "Liar, you promised to come karaoke with me."

"Uh, no I didn't," he countered weakly.

"Yes you did! Now come on. I want to hear you sing an N'Sync song."

Guile fought the urge to gag. You'd have to get me pretty goddamn drunk for me to sing anything, let alone that crap." She clapped her hands delightedly and giggled. It was odd how such a cute exterior concealed how deadly she could be when she was provoked. He looked up to see Ryu observing them from his balcony. "Why not ask your little friend? I mean, they created the stupid thing, didn't they?"

Chun Li looked up. She hadn't realized that Ryu had been watching them. Her face fell slightly. "He says he's not feeling well, but I get the feeling that he wants to be left alone."

It saddened him to see her so forlorn. Putting an arm around her shoulder, he said in a resigned tone, "Alright, I'll go, but no boy bands!" Her smile returned and she pulled him along. "Yeah, yeah I'm comin'!" The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back and seeing stars from having bumped his head on the ground. Looking up, he was affronted by the site of Balrog's leering face. "What the fuck-" Before he could even complete the sentence, Balrog began raining down body blows on Guile's abdomen.

As Guile desperately fought to shield his body, Chun Li was still confused as to what was going on. When it finally dawned on her that Guile was being attacked, she ran towards him.

"No! Stay back!" he shouted, still deflecting punches. "Chun Li, stay where you are!" She screamed as Balrog picked him up by his beater and threw him into a nearby bench, breaking the thing in half. Guile groaned and shook his head, trying to get his bearings as Balrog continued to advance on him. "Okay, asshole. If that's how you want to play." Nimbly jumping up from the broken bench, he planted the steel toe of his boot into Balrog's chin. There was an audible crunching sound as a trail of blood and teeth exited his open mouth.

Chun Li was torn between wanting to help Guile and not serving as a distraction. Then a voice behind her made her skin crawl.

"Good evening."

She turned and the sight of Bison's condescending smile sent her into a rage. Forgetting that she was still in the process of recovering, she screamed, "Kikouken!" and hurled a ball of energy at him. Snickering, he easily blocked it. In her weakened state, she was unable to channel much power. Running towards him, she jumped off the ground and attempted to land a flying kick. Bison threw his head back and laughed at her vain efforts. Reaching out his arm, he plucked her out of the air in midflight. Holding her upside down, he lifted her by her leg until her face was level with his. "I like a woman with spirit," he said with a sneer. Chun Li responded by spitting in his face. "So unladylike," he chided, wiping the spittle from his eye.

Guile looked away from Balrog and saw Chun Li suspended from Bison's fist. "Chun LI!" He tried to run to her but was tackled down. "Why won't you fucking stay DOWN?!" he shouted. With a loud cry, he threw Balrog off his back and dove onto his stomach with his elbow. His opponent gasped as the wind was knocked out of him and lay helpless. Guile scrambled back onto his feet and ran to free Chun Li. Bison narrowed his eyes and grinned cruelly. Dropping her on the ground, he turned his attention fully to Guile. Seeing that she was free, Guile called to her without taking his eyes off Bison, "Chun, get out of here now!"

She shook her head. "I won't leave you!"

"I said get the hell out of here! Run!"

Unable to desert him, she simply watched, hating herself for not being strong enough to come to his aid.

"How cute – spring love," he said sardonically.

"Shut up, you overgrown megalomaniac." Guile put his fists up. "Why don't you show some guts and pick on someone your own size?"

"Happy to oblige." Drawing back, his hands began to glow an electric pink color and he drove his fist with surprising force into Guile's chest. His blow was so powerful, he actually went head over heels twice before hitting the ground.

"GUILE!"

Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the pavement, he stood up defiantly and readied himself to attack again. With a roar, he charged Bison and attempted to flip him over but Bison grabbed him and threw him to the side. Chun Li watched horrified as Bison continued to physically punish Guile. Had he not been weakened from his fight with Balrog, he could have been a match for Bison but taking on two powerful fighters one right after the other was proving too exhausting for him. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, Bison slammed his face into the ground with such force that the cement cracked. Confident that he was spent, Bison turned back to Chun Li. Guile struggled to stand, but he could only get to his knees. "Chun…" he said weakly. "Go! Don't let him hurt you."

She felt completely paralyzed, and even as Bison advanced on her, she remained rooted to the spot. Throwing her to the ground, he easily overpowered her. Covering her mouth with his hand, he whispered, "Such a lovely thing - so pure and full of life. I will thoroughly enjoy taking everything from you. Your father was only the beginning." Roughly, he hiked her skirt above her hips and spread her legs with his hand. "You might like it," he said indifferently. "And if not, either way it makes no difference to me." Chun Li's eyes widened in fear as he leaned over her, and all she could think of was ending her life as soon as possible after he had finished with her. She looked away, not wanting to see his face while he violated her. Please, let it be over soon, she prayed.

"SHINKU HADOUKEN!!"

There was a blast of light and Bison was thrown off Chun Li. "I see you do not disappoint, my friend," he said as he stood up. Running to Guile, Chun Li checked to see if he was still alive. "Hang on," she begged him. She looked up to see Ryu staring at Bison, but it no longer seemed like the same man. His face was livid with rage and the eyes that were normally so kind and filled with warmth now showed a complete absence of compassion. It had been replaced with a cold, merciless glow. Oblivious of her, he began to channel his rage between his hands, which glowed brighter and brighter. Bison nodded approvingly. "That's it. Bring me the monster that I need, show me the power of the _Dark Hadou_!" Ryu's eyes began to glow an unearthly red. He prepared to deliver the death blow when he heard Ken's voice.

"RYU! DON'T!" Not knowing if he was too late, Ken ran to his friend's side. "Ryu, look at me!" Ryu's eyes never strayed from his target. "_BAGAYARO_! Listen to me goddammit, this is what he wants, don't you see? He wants you to give in to the satsui no hadou so he can use it! You can't give in." The energy between Ryu's hands began to crackle. It would not be long before it inevitably discharged. "Ryu," Ken said softly. "Remember what _Master_ Gouken said. One never fights to kill, and he was willing to die for that principle. You're stronger than this. Please!"

With a loud cry, Ryu hurled the energy borne of the Dark Hadou at Bison. "NO!" Chun Li cried.

The force of the blast could be seen as it had carved a path in the asphalt. When the smoke cleared, Bison was still in one piece and relatively unharmed, but the area immediately to the right of him was completely destroyed. "Fascinating," he remarked. "Balrog, come. We've had enough fun for tonight." The two men retreated into the shadows and were gone.

"Ryu! _Are you okay_?" Ken dropped to his friend's side. Ryu was breathing heavily on his knees.

"What is happening to me?" Ryu asked. Again he heard the voice from inside his head. "**Good. It is only a matter of time now. There is no denying who you are, Ryu. It is your destiny. You cannot escape…**" He clutched at the sides of his head trying to ignore the words. "_Stop it, you monster_! _Shut up_!"

"Ryu, _what is it_?"

Ryu clawed at Ken's arms. "_I'm begging you, please!_ Make it stop!" he begged in a tortured voice. "Ken, _help me_!"

Unable to assuage his agony, Ken could do little more than sit with his friend as he endured his agony.


	4. Chapter 4: Ambivalence

Again, Ryu awoke naked in an unfamiliar bed. Putting his hand to his head, he was alarmed to find that his _headband_ was gone, but then turning over he saw that someone had placed it neatly on the nightstand. This was not his room, nor was it Chun Li's. The soft sound of regular breathing drew his attention to the corner of the room, where Chun Li was fast asleep, curled up in a ball on the couch, a blanket pulled up to her nose. There was a quiet knock and Ken looked in. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Rise and shine."

"Where am I?" Ryu tried to clear the fog in his head.

"Well, Guile's in the hospital, so with no one to watch you two crazy kids, I had them move you to the room next to me and Eliza." He pointed to Chun Li's sleeping figure. "You know, she hasn't left your side for the past 48 hours."

"_Really_?" Ken nodded solemnly. Ryu felt like there was a wrecking crew working inside his skull. "Ken, do you have any aspirin?"

Smiling, he said, "Yes, Ryu, I have some ass-puh-leen-oh." In minutes he returned with two aspirin and a glass of water. "Just don't call me in the morning."

Ryu looked confused. "What time is it?"

"Just take the goddamn aspirin," Ken retorted. "My comedic genius is wasted on you."

After he had downed the glass of water, Ryu looked at himself lying in the bed and asked, "Ken, I am troubled. Why am I always naked when you take care of me?"

It was difficult for Ken to refrain from bursting into laughter, especially when Ryu said "naked" just as someone would pronounce "baked". Trying hard not to laugh so loud that he could wake up Chun Li, after composing himself, he replied, "Do you have any idea what your _karate uniform_ looked like afterwards? The thing was a charred mess. The first time we sent it to the dry cleaners and you should have seen the look on that old lady's face. She didn't want to touch it with a ten-foot pole. But after this last episode, woowee, it practically incinerated. And neither me or Eliza know where you keep your _undies_, Ryu-_kun_." His last sentence had a singsong quality about it. Fortunately for us, Chun Li decided to be on nurse duty, and let me tell you, if I were you, I'd be sorry that I missed seeing such a hottie sponge bathe me." He grinned mischievously as Ryu blushed furiously. It was like watching the mercury rise in a thermometer.

"_WHAT_?! She saw me naked?"

"It's not **nak'd**, Ryu, it's **nay-ked**. Or **nekkid,** if you prefer. Keep your voice down. And yeah she saw you in your birthday suit. So what? I guess that makes the two of you even." Ryu put his head in his hands and groaned. "Shhhh!" Ken said with mock seriousness as he put a finger to his lips. "You'll wake her up."

For a moment, Ryu was contemplative. "How is Guile?"

Ken's demeanor lost all lightness. "Not good," he said grimly. "Guile's in the NICU and they're not allowing any visitors in his current condition."

"What is NICU?"

"Neurological Intensive Care Unit. He has something called an 'epidural hematoma'."

Looking over at Chun Li, he asked, "Is it serious?"

Ken sighed. "It's pretty serious. When Bison knocked his head into the ground apparently it ruptured one of the major blood vessels along the side of his skull and he bled so much, the clot began pressing down on his brain. They had to drill a hole in his skull to get the blood out, but he's still unconscious. They're not sure if he's going to survive and even if he does, the neurologists are worried that he might have recurrent seizures or residual neurologic damage afterwards. He may never be able to fight again." Seeing Ryu looking at the sleeping girl, he added, "She's been a total wreck these last few days. Between not being able to see Guile and your being passed out, she's had twice as much to worry about. I think this is the first she's slept since the night of the incident." He was quiet for a moment before he continued, "You know, she really cares about you, man. If I were you I'd be smart and make sure I didn't screw it up."

Staring at his hands, Ryu couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. "I couldn't control it. It was too powerful. I was not strong enough." He glanced again at Chun Li. "And I am afraid that she has made me weak."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am not myself since coming here. I am no longer disciplined enough to control my mind and my emotions. Since meeting her, she occupies my thoughts all the time."

Laughing, Ken explained, "It's called being in love, buddy. That's normal and it's not a bad thing. If your lucky enough to find the right girl, that is. You've just broadened your horizons."

His words seemed to impart little consolation. Ryu hesitantly continued, "When I saw her attacked the second time…" His words trailed off as he clenched his fists.

Ken sat beside him. "What is it, Ryu?"

"I am too ashamed to say."

Ken smiled sympathetically. "There's nothing that you could say that would make me think that you should be ashamed of yourself. Tell me. What happened?"

There was a long silence before he finally answered, "Seeing Bison about to dishonor her, I felt two things that I have never felt before in my life. One was an uncontrollable rage. I have been angry before, but this was completely different. It was like the rage was the only thing I had. I could not think of anything except my rage and the need to destroy."

"And what was the second thing?"

Ryu's jaw muscle visibly tensed. "Fear."

Now he understood why his friend felt so ashamed. The warrior-like standard to which all fighters held themselves regarded fear as an emotion that plagued only the weak. Untill now, Ryu had viewed himself as being able confront any situation, thus it must have been terribly disconcerting for him to begin experiencing this feeling now after so many years of believing that he was immune to it. "What did you fear?"

"Losing her," he replied bitterly. "All I could think of was that I had to save her no matter the cost because the thought of losing her caused me so much pain."

"That's perfectly natural when you care about someone, Ryu. Don't beat yourself up for it." Ken patted him on the back.

Ryu's voice took on a hard edge. "Though it may be acceptable to others, it is unacceptable to me. Caring about others makes me vulnerable to my enemies and I cannot be weak. Weakness is what allowed the _Dark Hadou_ to hold me in its grip. This new fear, it prevents me from thinking clearly. I react to things instead of exercising cautious. It is dangerous. I cannot risk becoming attached to her."

"I think it's already too late for that, Ryu," Ken remarked quietly.

Ryu looked up resolutely. "Then I must unattach myself from her," he said with a determined tone.

Ken sighed. "Ryu, this is weird for me because normally I'm the one making rush decisions and you're the one telling me to be patient, but you may want to take your own advice. You're a little freaked out because you've fallen for someone for the first time and that's understandable, but I think you're being a bit extreme about this whole thing. Besides, what about her feelings? Do you really think that she's going to just give up on you and walk away?"

"She will have no choice."

Ryu was building defenses faster than Ken could knock them down. "Don't you think that's a little cut and dry?"

"I do not expect you to understand."

A faint wave of irritation stirred inside Ken. "What's that supposed to mean? I lack discipline because I have a girlfriend and don't devote every waking minute of my life to fighting?"

"That is a choice that you made."

Now he was really annoyed. "So what, this makes you better than me? But avoiding being in love because it complicates things – that's not weak though, is it?"

"_Shut the hell up_!" Ryu growled.

Both men were so busy glowering at each other that they failed to notice that Chun Li had woken up. Ken looked off to the side and when he saw Chun Li with a bewildered look on her face, he gave a nervous laugh. Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he said, "Oh look at the time, Eliza and I are supposed to have lunch. Have a great day, you two!" He bolted out of the room.

Chun Li tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Is everything alright?"

Looking at her delicate face, filled with concern for him, he felt so many things, but for some reason, her attention annoyed him. "Everything is fine, go back to sleep." He laid back down and turned away from her." Even though he was not able to see her, he could feel her gaze on his back.

Her voice trembled a little. "Can I lay down with you?"

The temptation to say yes was hard to resist, but he forced himself to suppress it. "I do not feel well enough right now. I am sorry."

There was a long silence before she spoke again. "I'm just so afraid. Guile is all alone in the hospital…" she tried to hold back her tears. "They won't let me see him. I don't know if he'll survive and it's all my fault." She choked back a few sobs. Ryu forced himself not to turn around, knowing that if he saw her in such a vulnerable state, his resolve would crumble.

"I am sure he will be fine," he said. He hated himself for how hollow and inane the words sounded. "I must rest now." He winced as he said it. Though he knew he had to end the conversation to prevent himself from losing control, he could tell how cruel it felt to her and it pained him. Even though he couldn't see her face, the loneliness and rejection that she felt was all too obvious. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard her walk back to the couch. He tried to meditate, to block out the sound of her crying softly from the other corner of the room, but it was not easy to distance his mind from her. **This is exactly the reason you need to be free of her,** he lectured himself. **You must try harder**! He redoubled his efforts to ignore her muffled sobs. Eventually, to his great relief, she stopped on her own, but oddly enough, it wasn't that much easier to focus with her silent.


	5. Chapter 5: Another Perspective

The next few days were distinctly uncomfortable for Ryu. Though no longer upset with him, Ken gave him a wide berth owing to his irritable mood and because Guile's condition had been changed from critical to stable, Chun Li spend most of her time at the hospital. Though relieved that she was not around for him to see, a small part of him continually wished that she would come back to the hotel while he was there. Unmotivated to go outside, Ryu spent his time either idly channel surfing or staring at the ceiling. It angered him that he was acting this way – it was so unlike him. It is all because of her, he thought to himself with irritation. I must be disciplined and regain my focus.

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at his door. "Yes?" He was surprised to see that it was Eliza.

"Am I intruding?" she asked tentatively.

He didn't really feel like engaging her in conversation, but he had known her for a long time and did not want to be rude. Standing up, he beckoned her into the room. "Please, sit."

She sat down in the love seat next to the couch and smoothed her skirt over her knees. Eliza studied his face for some time, causing him to avert his gaze. Finally she spoke. "I know that this may be aggravating for you, but I'm worried about you, Ryu."

"I am fine," he said in a stilted tone.

"Are you really?" She looked searchingly at his slumped form. "Ryu, please take this in the spirit in which it is intended. You look awful. You're not eating, you're not sleeping and you haven't left this room since you woke up. It's hard to believe that you're as okay as you say you are." Ryu continued to avoid her gaze. "You miss her don't you?" she asked him gently.

"No," he lied.

Eliza smiled. "What is it about men that they can't admit they need a woman?" Ryu finally looked up at her. "Oh, Ken did it all the time when we first met. He had a hard time admitting to himself that he needed someone and couldn't do everything alone. He looked at is a flaw in his character, a sign that he wasn't a strong person. _Warrior code_ and all that stuff."

His face registered his surprise. "But he is so obviously taken with you." It was strange to hear about this side of Ken.

She chuckled again. "Well, it wasn't so obvious to him. In the beginning, he pushed me away all the time. Sound familiar?" Her tone was not accusatory.

Embarrassed, Ryu looked at the floor. "Was it difficult?"

"Oh it drove me crazy," she admitted. "He blew hot one minute and cold the next."

"Why did you put up with such behavior?"

"Because I knew I loved him. I knew the day we met that he was what was missing from my life and I wasn't going to let him get away."

"But it was so difficult for you."

"Sure, he's a pain in the ass a lot of times, he was more so at the beginning, but when you truly love someone you realize that to enjoy the good, you also have to weather the bad. Ken's made my life a living hell sometimes, with his fighting and traveling, but he also makes me incredibly happy. If giving up the stress meant being without him, it wouldn't be worth it to me. I'd never tell him that though," she said with a conspiratorial grin. Ryu couldn't help but be impressed by her quiet strength. In many ways, she was Ken's polar opposite – petite, polished, intellectual, mature, and not the least bit aggressive - but he could see why Ken regarded her so highly and loved her so much.

"But it's not the same," he argued. "Ken can take care of himself and you know he'll be fine so you don't worry about him?"

Eliza raised an eyebrow at him. "What gave you the idea that I don't worry about him?"

"Well," he reasoned, "I never do."

She laughed. "Ryu, Ken is very capable, but he _is_ human, just as we all are, and I worry about him all the time, especially when he fights. Sometimes it keeps me up nights."

"Why would you stay with someone who did something that made you so nervous? Why not be with someone who didn't make you worry?"

Resting her chin on her hand, she gave him a warm smile. "Well unfortunately, the man I fell in love with likes to do something that makes me worry about his safety. If I could have been with someone else, I probably would have, but it usually doesn't work like that."

Her words continued to amaze him. "Then why not ask him to give it up so that you could worry less?"

"Ryu," she said kindly," I can't ask Ken to stop being who he is. Fighting is something he loves and I could never ask him to give up such a large part of himself."

"How can you watch him fight? It must make you so anxious." He thought of all the fights that she had stood on the sidelines for, and how nerve wracking it must have been for her whenever he suffered an injured.

"Oh it scares me to death every time," she confided to him. "But I also accept that this is who he is. Ken is far from perfect, but I love him for everything that he is, both the good and the annoying. There's a saying that you like people for their good qualities but you love them for their faults. Besides, even if Ken would have given up fighting for me, I'm not sure I'd still love him, because he wouldn't be the same man anymore."

None of this made any logical sense to Ryu, but he believed her words to be genuine. "Thank you, Eliza-chan. Ken is very lucky to have you in his life."

Eliza laughed. "Yeah, as I keep having to remind him. By the way," she winked at him, "this conversation never happened, know what I mean? I know how you boys value your reputations."

He smiled for the first time in days – she knew him so well. "He will never know of it."

"Good." Standing up, she opened the door but before leaving, she looked over her shoulder and said, "You know, Ryu, it's just a suggestion, but you might want to have yourself a shower and pop in to the hospital. You know, just to pay your respects to Guile." It was obvious though who she really meant. "Cheers!" With a little wave, she walked out of his room.

Guile opened his eyes and felt completely disoriented. In the background he heard a faint beeping noise and looking down, he saw that Chun Li was asleep in a chair, with her head on his chest, pillowed on her arms. There were IV lines coming out of every part of his body and he was hooked up to a series of monitors. Then he remembered what happened before he lost consciousness. The last memory he had was of riding in the ambulance with her. Gently placing a hand on her back, he shook her lightly. "Hey, kiddo…" Her eyes slowly blinked open and when she saw him smiling at her, she let out a cry of joy and threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Woah, woah, watch the merchandise, Princess. I'm in a fragile state!"

She hid her face in his chest and began crying. "Oh, Guile, I'm so sorry! It was all my fault and I was so scared you were going to die! I'm so sorry!" She sobbed uncontrollably.

Guile hugged her as affectionately as his sore body would allow. "No worries, Baby. I'm still alive and kicking."

"But you may never be able to fight again!" She sobbed even harder at the thought.

"Come on, you little crybaby," he teased, wiping her tears. "We'll worry about that when we have to." He rubbed his head and was horrified to feel bare scalp where his hair should have been. "What the fuck?" He looked at Chun with alarm in his eyes. "What did they do to me?"

"They had to shave your head to evacuate the blood that was compressing your brain."

"Fuckin' A!" he wailed mournfully. "Why couldn't they just shave a small part? He threw his arm over his face in despair. "Thirty-five and already bald – I can't stand it!" He looked at her with desperation. "You gotta get me a beret or something, I can't be seen like this!"

The man had just cheated death and he was upset about his hair. Chun Li thought it was safe to say that he was back his old self. "I don't know," she couldn't help teasing, "I think it's kind of a good look for you."

He scowled at her, which only made him look more comical. "Keep it up, Sweetheart," he said warningly. "My legs are going to be functional again pretty soon, and when they are, you're going to have to run REAL fast." Someone else must have walked into the room because he suddenly shifted his gaze behind her. "Those for me? Aw, you shouldn't have," he said with mock gratitude.

Chun Li turned around. Ryu was standing in the doorway with a bouquet of flowers, looking very unsure of himself. "Please pardon the intrusion," he said quietly. "May I enter?"

Looking at Chun Li, Guile asked, "I dunno. Can he?" Both men waited intently for her answer.


	6. Chapter 6: Removing The Mask

Sensing her ambivalence, Guile put his finger under her chin and tilted her face to look at him. "Hey," he said softly, "it's okay. If you want him gone, just say the world and I'll tell him to GTFO." She looked down and shook her head. "Okay." In a slightly louder voice he said, "Hey, Chun I'm dying for a coffee, mind grabbing one for me?" He looked over her shoulder at Ryu. "And you're buyin', capicce?

"Kapeeshee?" Ryu echoed.

"Chun get that idiot out of my face before I kick his ass," Guile barked.

Closing the door behind them, Chun Li pressed the button for the elevator and tried not to look at Ryu. The awkward silence between them was deafening. Walking out of the hospital, she crossed the street and entered a small bakery. Paying for a coffee, he held the door open for her as they left. Half shy, half ashamed of how he had behaved, Ryu held out the flowers to her. "Please accept these."

He seemed more himself again, but there was something new about him – he lacked the assuredness that he normally had. She also noticed that for the first time since she had met him, he was not wearing his red _headband_. Taking the flowers, she asked, "No headband today?"

A small smile escaped his lips. "I thought I would leave it at the hotel. I am not training today." His forehead bare, clad in jeans and t-shirt, he could have passed for any other person on the street. It was strange how something as simple as a piece of fabric could change someone's appearance so. **That explains the whole Superman / Clark Kent thing** she thought to herself. Shuffling his feet, Ryu focused on his sneakers as he said, "I ask your forgiveness for my rude behavior the other day."

Chun Li couldn't help but smile at that. There was something so old school about his formal way of speaking. She could picture him four hundred years ago as a _masterless samurai_, wandering feudal Japan. "Apology accepted."

"_Thank you_." Another long silence ensued. "_Um_, will you walk with me?"

They walked over to a nearby park and sat down on one of the benches. Feeling her heart race, Chun Li fiddled with the flowers and bit her lower lip. Ryu, if you want me to leave you alone, just tell me. Please? I'd rather just know instead of being confused all the time."

"I have been difficult," Ryu admitted.

She sighed. "I feel stupid enough as it is, throwing myself at you all the time. I'm such an idiot, you'd think I'd be able to take a hint." She took a deep breath and said, "Just tell me once, so I can hear it, and it'll be easier for me to leave you alone. At least it will save me from being hurt again." She braced herself for his answer.

"I do not wish you to leave me."

Stunned, she turned to face him, not certain that she heard him correctly. "What?"

"Please pardon my stupidity," Ryu asked, moving closer to her. Feeling the warmth of him began to make her lightheaded. "This has never happened to me before. All my life I have been used to being on my own. It is strange for me to think about another. I am not familiar with these feelings," he explained.

Her lower lip began to tremble. "Please don't say it if you don't mean it. That would be too much for me. I don't want to be hurt like that again."

"I am quite serious about this," Ryu assured her. "And I am deeply sorry that I have caused you pain."

Still not sure that he was in fact being honest, she held back, not wanting to believe his words, lest they be fiction. "I want to believe you. You have no idea how much I want to believe you." A few stray tears traced a path along her cheekbone. "Ryu, I'm so scared."

Taking her face in one hand, he kissed her softly and felt her shake at his touch. Her lips were soft and she tasted sweet. Pulling away, he looked into her eyes and said softly, "Please, do not leave me."

Throwing her arms around his neck, she hugged him to her so fiercely that she knocked her flowers off her lap. Tears of happiness streamed down her face. "Oh, thank god. I'm so happy!" He held her tightly, enjoying the feel of having her close again after what felt like ages. Suddenly she pulled back.

"What is it?" he said, his brow furrowed with concern.

""Guile!" She picked up the coffee. "We completely forgot about him!"

Opening the door to his room, Chun Li smiled sheepishly as she handed Guile the coffee. "Sorry we're late."

"As long as you had good reason," he said, winking so that only she could see. "Hey, Asshole!" he shouted to Ryu. "It's cold!"

"_I am sorry_," Ryu said, bowing apologetically.

He turned back to Chun Li. "Happy?" he asked quietly. She nodded, unable to contain herself. "Get outta here then," he said as he pinched her cheek.

Kissing him on the forehead she said, "Sorry again about the coffee."

"I guess you forgot I don't actually drink coffee," he reminded her.

When it dawned on her that he had done it yet again, she hugged him affectionately and laughed, "Guile, you're the best."

"Just remember the hat," he scowled, pointing to his head.

Before exiting, Ryu turned to Guile and asked, "Question, what does that mean? G-T-F-O?"

Guile plastered a fake smile on his face and waved bye-bye. "Get the fuck out."

"_Roger_!" Ryu said, hurrying out.

Chun Li entered their hotel room for the first time in days. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered, "Tell me I'm not dreaming."

Pulling her to him, Ryu confirmed for her, "It is no dream."

She kissed him in response, softly at first but she became more insistent as the tension she had suppressed for so long broke free of her control. Her passion had an almost animal quality to it. Pressing herself along the length of him, she slid her hand down the front of his jeans and stroked him through the fabric. He moaned louder than he had wanted to, his cock straining to free itself from its tight confines. He grabbed her hand and pulled it away. "Do you want me to stop?" she asked, unsure of what was wrong.

"_No_," he said with an embarrassed smile. "But I have never done this before."

"Really?"

"Mm."

When she thought about it, that made sense. He had spent his entire life in relative isolation. That didn't leave much opportunity for romance. She caught him off guard when she threw him onto the bed. Crawling on top of him, she nuzzled his neck and told him, "I don't mind." She ground her hips into his and was delighted when he responded by pushing harder against her. Slipping his shirt off, she ran her hands over his front, loving how firm he felt under her fingers. Kissing his abdomen, she tasted the saltiness of his skin and she made her way to his waistband. Her eyes flashing, she slid her hand down his stomach and encircled his very stiff cock with her hand. She could feel his pulse racing as she stroked it, her hand slippery with his precum.

Ryu couldn't help bucking as she played with him. This level of pleasure was completely new to his experience and it was overwhelming his senses. "Stop," he begged, breathing heavily.

Her hand never slowed as she met his gaze. "Why?"

He was so embarrassed at the admission he was about to make. "I am already too close."

She smiled slyly and pulled her hand out of his pants. It was slick, covered with the fruits of her handiwork. Ryu watched with his mouth open as she licked him off her fingers. "You taste so good," she purred. Raking his jeans with her nails, she slid them completely off with a violent yank and seconds later his boxers joined them on the floor. "This is for being so indecisive," she said with a hard edge to her voice. Taking his fully erect cock in her hand, she took it into her mouth in one deliberate movement and began to suck on it. She enjoyed watching him convulse as she blew him.

The lack of blood flow to his brain must have made it difficult for him to remember his English because all of a sudden he was speaking entirely in Japanese. She had no idea what he was saying, but she could make out a few words, "…_stpo_…_let go_…_I'm coming_…" She could tell that he was close by the way he swelled in her mouth and as the first wave of his orgasm hit, he grabbed her head and forced himself deep into her throat as he launched his cum inside her, unable to stifle a loud cry of "_I'm coming_!" as he emptied himself over and over again. As his head cleared, he felt her gag around him, and looked down to see his cum spilling out of her mouth onto the bedsheets. "Ah, _sorry_!" he said, ashamed of his lack of consideration for her. She slid her lips off him and he heard her swallow. "I am sorry," he said regretfully. "I finished too quickly."

Standing up, she pulled her dress over her head and slid her thong off her hips. Kneeling over him, she took his hand and guided it between her legs. She was soaked, her inner thighs coated in a slippery sheen and Ryu was shocked to feel his cock stiffening again even though he had just cum. "Looks like there's no need for apology," she said coyly. Taking his hand in hers, she licked his fingers clean and then kissed him hard, forcing her tongue between his lips. His cock was now fully hard again and she began stroking it with her hand. "Do you like how I taste?"

He could barely breathe, he was so aroused. "_Tasty_," was all he could say.

Laying on her back, she pulled him atop her and ravaged his mouth. "I want it inside me," she told him. Positioning himself above her, he slid the length of his cock deep into her in one thrust. She was incredibly tight and he was amazed that he was getting close already. "Chun Li," he warned. "You are too tight. Let me pull out or it will be over too soon again."

She responded by clamping down on his cock even harder, eliciting a loud groan from him. "No," she breathed. "I'm too close. Come for me." Locking her knees across his back, she screamed as her orgasm tore through her.

Ryu gritted his teeth and tried to hold back his own until she had finished. "I do not want to come inside you," he said. "Please let me go." But she couldn't hear him as a second orgasm almost immediately followed the first and the feeling of her walls contracting around him sent him over the edge. He came almost as violently as he had in her mouth and the sensation was so intense that he involuntarily bit down on her neck as he came, drawing blood.

Next door, Ken and Eliza were watching TV when they heard screaming and banging from the other side of the wall. At first, Ken looked alarmed but when he saw Eliza smiling, he started laughing incredulously and punched his fist in the air. "Woohoo!!! After thirty some years the boy is _finally_ getting laid! Good job, Ryu!" he said to the wall, holding up two fingers in a victory V. Turning back to Eliza, he wiggled his eyebrows at her and said impishly, "Hey, Baby, we're not going to let ourselves be outdone by them are we?"

Eliza looked at him dryly. "Does everything have to be a competition for you?"

Grabbing her off the couch, she squealed as Ken slung her over his shoulder cave-man style. "Now this is my kinda competition! Come, Wench!" he announced. "Round Two, FIGHT!!!" Eliza laughed and pounded her fists on his back in mock protestation as he carried her into the bedroom.

It was 4 o'clock in the morning and Ken was at his wit's end. In the last ten hours the longest period of silence from the next suite was a mere ten minutes. Muffled screams and pounding sounds were still emanating from the wall. Ken clamped a pillow over his head but it was completely ineffective at drowning out the noise. Throwing it angrily at the wall, he shouted, "Alright already! For fuck's sake give it a rest! Some of us are trying to sleep, goddammit!"

From Eliza's side of the bed, he heard a chuckle. "Does that mean they win?" she teased. A mischievous grin began to spread across Ken's face. "Uh-oh…"

"Not ye-e-et…"

"Ken, don't even think about it, it's 4 o'clock in the morn-OOH!"

Downstairs, the management was fielding multiple complaints regarding the noise level on the 25th floor.


	7. Chapter 7: The Shadow Revealed

After getting dressed, Ken went next door ready to bust Ryu's balls for the all nighter that he'd pulled. He knocked a few times with no answer. "For crying out loud!" He began banging his fist against the door.

"_Just a moment_." The door opened a crack and a sliver of Ryu's head peered out into the hallway and was greeted by the biggest shit-eating grin he'd ever seen.

"_Good morning, my honored friend_!" Ken said brightly. "Aren't you gonna invite me in? That's so impolite of you not to, Ryu," Ken added in a wounded voice.

"_Quit fucking around_," Ryu muttered under his breath.

It was dark in his suite and Ken tried to get a peek inside with little success. "So, uh, how'd you sleep last night?" he asked casually.

There was a long pause. "Ken, I do not wish to be rude, but could you come back later?"

Ken flashed him another smug grin and pretended not to get the hint. "Why? You in the middle of something?"

Ryu was having a hard time trying to maintain an air of politeness while preventing Ken from coming in. "Now is not a good time to talk."

Ken was having way too much fun watching him squirm and he planned to milk this for all it was worth. For all he knew, an opportunity like this would never present itself again. He tried to barge his way into the door. "Come on, Ryu, what could you possibly have to hide from me, your best friend?"

"_IDIOT_!"

Ryu tried to bar him from entering, but Ken faked left and slipped past him. With a triumphant laugh, he took a long look around the suite. "What happened to all the furniture, Bro? Demolition derby?" Suddenly, he scrutinized Ryu, who only had his boxers on and shouted, "What the hell happened to you?" Ryu was covered in scratches and a number of bruises. "Wow, I guess after all that noise you two made last night I shouldn't be surpri-IZED!" Grabbing Ken in a headlock, Ryu threw his stunned friend out into the hallway and slammed the door shut.

Sliding under the covers, he spooned Chun Li, and she happily snuggled into him. Running his hand along her waist, he began kissing her neck, and she smiled contentedly until she felt him hardening against her back. "That's impossible," she said with disbelief.

"_Feels so good,"_ he breathed into her ear. "_More, more_." His hands became more persistent, his fingers digging into her skin.

"Ryu! I need a break!" she pleaded with him. She'd never expected that he would have such an endless supply of energy.

"Why?" he asked innocently.

"Because I'm exhausted! We need to get some sleep!"

Turning her over, he pinned her down with his weight and studied her face. "_Beautifuk_," he murmured, stroking her cheek. Despite being more sore than she'd ever been in her life, the way he looked at her caused her body to respond in spite of herself and she felt herself getting wet.

"Okay, but after this we really need to get some rest," she said with less conviction. Ryu merely smiled and lowered his face between her thighs.

Eliza was about to call room service, when she heard Chun Li screaming at the top of her lungs. Taking the phone from her hand, Ken placed it back on the cradle, a doleful expression on his face. "Why don't we just go out for breakfast?" he suggested. Another scream pierced the air. "Eh screw it, lunch too."

Though it seemed like it would never happen, Ryu finally fell asleep but not before making her come three more times. Collapsing on top of her, he passed out almost right after he finished. Thank god, Chun Li thought with a sigh of relief. Rolling him onto his back, she laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart rate slow to normal. Not that he was inconsiderate - he was a fantastic lover, but no amount of training had ever worn her out as much as his lovemaking. If sex were an Olympic sport, Ryu would have little trouble snagging the gold. She was amazed at how quickly he learned and had a difficult time believing that someone so passionate could have remained celibate for so long. He certainly made up for lost time though, she thought with a smile. She giggled as he let out a small snore.

Walking into Gouken's dojo, Ryu felt something wasn't right. He looked around. Something was very wrong but he couldn't place what it was. Ken was in the middle of stretching, wearing his usual red gi. He paused to wave at Ryu and continued his exercises. Ryu waved back, but the something about the situation seemed unreal. Footsteps behind him caused him to turn around. Chun Li had entered the dojo and she was wearing her usually tournament garb. Ryu called out to her, but she took no notice of him, and walked past him as if he weren't there.

"Ryu."

That voice…Turning around he could not believe what he was seeing. "_Teacher_!" Instinctively he bowed to Gouken. "Is that really you?"

Gouken motioned for him to come closer. "I have something to teach you, Ryu. It is very important that you heed my words."

"Of course, _teacher_."

"Good," he nodded approvingly. "You always were a dutiful and disciplined pupil." Gouken motioned for Ken to come nearer. "Positions!" Ryu and Ken obediently faced each other. "Fight!"

Something strange was happening. Usually sparring with Ken was simply a training exercise, but for some reason, Ryu felt that he had to beat him this time and he began to fight more aggressively.

"Good, Ryu! Continue!" Gouken encouraged.

Knocking Ken to the ground, Ryu punched him hard, disorienting him for a moment and while he was confused, Ryu delivered a roundhouse kick to his head. He heard a sickening crunch as Ken's spine severed itself from his skull and he fell to the ground dead, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. "Oh my God," Ryu thought with horror. "What have I done?" He dropped to his knees and cradled Ken's lifeless body in his arms. "Ken!" He began to shake violently – Ken's body had gone cold. "No! I did not mean for him to get hurt! Sensei!"

Gouken looked at Ken's corpse and his face remained unchanged. "You did very well, Ryu. Very well."

"_Teacher_, how can you say that? I killed him!"

"Yes, it is a sign that you are strong. You must learn not to let it disturb you. Then you will possess the ultimate power, one that cannot be defied."

Ryu was so confused. "_Master_, you always taught us that we never fight to kill."

"_Idiot_!" Gouken roared. "Do as I say. How dare you question me?"

Tears filled his eyes as he laid Ken's body on the ground. "I do not understand."

His master's eyes began to glow crimson. "Tears and pity are for those who lack the courage to become great," he said coldly. "Your tears show you to be weak, Ryu. I am disappointed in you."

"No. How can I not mourn for him? He was like a brother to me!"

"And you did what you had to in order to be strong. You killed your brother."

"No!" Ryu staggered to his feet. "This isn't happening." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chun Li making her way towards Gouken.

"So lovely," Gouken said possessively. "I have a new pupil that you will service." Ryu felt sick to his stomach, and thought the situation could not get any worse, when Guile suddenly appeared behind him. "Come, boy." Guile walked forward until he was standing opposite Gouken. Taking Chun Li by the hand, Gouken presented her to Guile, saying, "She is yours to do with as you please." With a lascivious smile, Guile grabbed her and began kissing her roughly.

"STOP!" Ryu ran to help Chun Li but he realized that not only was she not trying to free herself, she was kissing him back. She paused for a moment, to look condescendingly at him and then returned to Guile. "Chun Li," Ryu whispered.

"Hey, Asshole," Guile said snidely, "watch this". Taking Chun Li's head in his giant hand, he unzipped his fly and pushed her to her knees.

"No, Chun Li, don't!" She turned to look at him, laughed and bent forward to receive Guile with her mouth. Ryu's clenched his fists, murderous thoughts of destroying Guile circulating in his thoughts.

"He takes what is yours and you do nothing?" Gouken sounded disgusted. "Pathetic. You do not deserve her then. Spoils go to the strong. If you want her take, back what is yours."

Charging Guile, Ryu knocked him onto his back and began repeatedly punching his face until it was scarcely recognizable. A large pool of blood was collecting on the floor near Guile's head and Ryu saw his reflection. He'd been smiling the whole time. Breathing heavily, he heard Gouken say, "The whore cares nothing for you. You saw how she gave herself to your enemy." Ryu glared at her as she retreated against the wall. Growling, he jumped up and grabbed her by her throat and held her off the ground, choking her. "Yes, punish her for what she did to you, be free of her." Ryu ground his fingers tighter around her neck.

"Ryu, please, stop," she begged. For some reason, it sounded like her old self again, but she could be deceiving me, he thought to himself and he squeezed harder. "Please stop, you're killing me…Why are you doing this?"

"RYU!!"

For a moment, Ryu saw a flash of bright light and found that he was back on the floor of his hotel room. The remains of a broken chair littered the floor. Looking up, Ken was supporting Chun Li, who was gasping for air, her lips a dusky shade of blue.

"What-"

"Don't come any closer! What the hell is wrong with you man?" Ken demanded angrily.

Ryu blinked, trying to get his bearings. "You're alive," he said with marked relief.

"Of course I'm alive you idiot. But another minute and she wouldn't have been!" Chun Li was clinging to Ken, sobbing hysterically.

"What happened?"

"What happened?" Ken yelled. "Eliza and I are coming back from lunch and we hear Chun Li screaming for you to stop. We come in here and you've got both hands wrapped around her neck, strangling her. What the fuck is the matter with you, Ryu?"

He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. "I was dreaming," he said weakly.

Ken helped Chun Li to her feet. "You stay here. I'm taking her next door for a moment." She refused to look at him as she left.

Ryu slumped into a chair. "What have I done?" he thought aloud. "Have I gone mad? What is happening to me?"


	8. Chapter 8: Ryu's Past

His head in his hands, Ryu struggled to understand what was happening to him. Moments later, Ken returned, duffel bag in hand. Dropping it on the floor, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "You wanna explain to me what's going on?"

"Is she alright?"

"No." Ken's tone betrayed how ridiculous he thought the question was. "She's scared and confused."

Staring at the floor, Ryu mumbled, "So am I."

"Well," Ken sat next to him, "until we figure out exactly what's going on, you're on lockdown." Chun Li's going to stay with Eliza and I'll stay here to make sure nothing else happens. At least I'll put up more of a fight if you try to choke _me_."

"I saw our _master_, Ken."

"Come on man, you know he's gone."

"Yes, but the Gouken I saw was not the same."

"How so?"

Ryu disliked having to relive his nightmare. "He told me to fight you. And when I killed you," Ken's eyebrows went up at this, "he told me that I had done well and that it was weak to mourn your loss."

"You killed me? How?" His tone was alarmed and curious all at once.

Shuddering, he replied, "I broke your neck, and the worst part is, I think that I enjoyed it." He buried his head in his hands.

"So that's why you were so happy to see me," Ken said softly.

"But even though I had only killed you in my dream, I tried to kill Chun Li in the waking world." He felt so miserable when he imagined her shock and confusion at being strangled by him. "I must leave here. I must go far away, from her or anyone else I could potentially harm. The _Dark Hadou_ has possessed my mind and I no longer control my actions. I am not safe to be around."

Ken knew it was useless to argue with him. "Where will you go?"

"Back to the master's dojo in the mountains." Standing up he vowed, "I will not return until I have purged this evil from my mind." He paused for a moment and looked at his longtime friend. In a soft voice he said, "Please tell Chun Li I am so sorry for what happened. In my shame, I cannot face her to tell her in person, even if she did wish to see me."

"Of course."

Handing her a cup of tea, Eliza examined Chun Li's neck. "Are you alright?"

She was still shaking. "I don't understand what happened."

Taking her hand, Eliza did her best to comfort the distraught woman. "You know, I've known Ryu for a long time, and I can tell you without a single doubt that he is every bit as confused as you, if not more so. It wasn't him who did this to you."

"What was it then?" she asked in an anguished tone.

"I'm not sure," Eliza said, "but I know he will get through it."

She looked at her sad smile and felt tears brimming in her eyes. "Eliza, I'm so frightened."

"Because you love him," she said, nodding understandingly. Chun Li began to sob, wracked with pain.

Eliza put her arms around her and hugged her protectively. "It would be easier if you didn't. You could walk away and say never again. But you do love him and I know that he loves you. He's spent his entire life unwilling to open himself to anyone, but you made it impossible for him to shut himself away and it frightens him more than any trial he's ever undertaken."

"I have to help him," Chun Li vowed, drying her face. "I won't lose him." Standing up, she went to the next suite and knocked on the door. "Ryu, I need to speak with you," she called through the door. Her heart raced as the door opened, but it was a very serious Ken who answered it. "I need to talk to him," she said urgently.

"He's gone."

"What? Where?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "I can't tell you. He made me promise not to tell you of all people."

He was shutting her out again. "Why?"

"Not for the reason you think," Ken said, as if reading her thoughts. "He couldn't risk anything happening to you or anyone else, so out of consideration for your safety, he left."

"But he needs my help," Chun Li pleaded.

Ken looked down and remained silent for a moment. His tone was resigned. "He may need your help, Chun Li, but until he wants it, there's nothing you can do for him. This is his battle, not yours."

A wave of anger rose inside her. "How can you just wash your hands of him like that? How can you be so nonchalant about this?"

His answer was patient, but firm. "Don't assume that because I'm not chasing after him that I don't care. We've been friends since childhood and even though we're not related, he's as close to me as any blood brother. But even if I do worry about Ryu, he has to find his own way and I have to respect his wishes, even if it means watching him suffer."

Collapsing on the floor, she began to weep. "I don't know what to do."

Helping her back up, he told her, "Just be patient, Chun. And have faith in him. This isn't over."

"Yes?" Bison said, flipping his cell phone open. "Ahhhh, good, exactly what I wanted to hear." Hanging up he turned to Balrog and Vega. "Our target, I have just learned, is on the move." Balrog and Vega both scowled but said nothing. "Come, we must not lose sight of him. Make the necessary preparations." Sitting down, he steepled his fingers and imagining the heights that Shadowlaw's power would reach, his low laugh echoed in the dark room.

"Hey, Beautiful. Why so sad?" Guile was propped up in his hospital bed when Chun Li stepped into the room, looking like she was ready to burst into tears at any moment. "C'mere." He motioned her to him. Sitting next to him, she threw her arms around his neck and began to sob on his shoulder. Clouds began to gather over Guile's brows. "What did he do to you?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I'll tell you later," she sniffled. "When will you be discharged from here?"

"Hopefully tomorrow. The food here is making me worse faster than they're making me well."

Chun Li managed a small smile. "Have the neurologists given you a clean bill of health?"

"Yeah. The biggest casualty of this was my hair," he said glumly.

"Well, I just got a call from HQ. One of out informants just told us that Bison is preparing to relocate. We're waiting for the exact location, and once we find out where he's going, we'll leave ASAP so we'll have the jump on him." Secretly Chun Li was grateful for the distraction.

"Sounds like fun," Guile observed. "Keep me posted."

Opening the sliding door to the main training room of the dojo, Ryu felt a mix of nostalgia and déjà vu as he stepped inside. Everything was as he and Ken had left it. Inhaling deeply, the earthy smell of the mountain air brought back memories of his youth.

_"Ryu, come here."_

_"Yes, sensei?" Ryu stood and walked to Gouken._

_"You will have some company from now on. This is Ken." A boy clad in a red gi with long, dyed blonde hair looked imperiously at Ryu. Ken is from America but his family wished him to learn the martial arts. He will be staying with us in the dojo. I want you to help him become accustomed to our way of life here." He left the two boys to get acquainted._

_"Hai." Ryu turned to the new boy. "Welcome," he said, giving him a bow._

_The new boy wasn't even looking at him. "What a dump! I can't believe my parents are dumping me here for a whole summer."_

_Ryu looked at him quizzically. "Dump? It is a great honor to train with Gouken sensei. I have never seen him take on another student."_

_Ken kicked a rock out of the way. "Yeah, well, my parents probably paid him a shitload of money or something. They're loaded," he boasted._

_"That is doubtful," Ryu said. "Gouken-sensei has no need of money. He lives only to train."_

_Waving dismissively, Ken countered, "Fine, influence then. They got plenty of that too."_

_"Please, come this way," Ryu gestured towards their room. "This is where you will sleep."_

_Ken surveyed the Spartan accommodations. "Is this one mine?"_

_"Eh?" Ryu was slightly taken aback. "It is to be shared by the two of us."_

_"No way man," Ken wailed, "I don't even get my own room?" Ryu didn't know what to say. "Man, I wanna go back to the States, this place sucks."_

_Puzzled, Ryu asked, "If you are American, why are you in Japan?"_

_Looking out the window, Ken took in the view. At least that was nice. "Actually I'm three quarters Japanese. My dad's half-jin. Before they ditched me here I was staying with my Mom's parents in Osaka." He scoffed, "It was only slightly less boring than here."_

_There was an awkward silence. "Well, we are to wake at 6 o'clock to do work. Training begins at 10. Meditation is at sunset and we are to be asleep by 9," Ryu explained. _

_"What?" Ken looked as if he had just been sentenced to prison. "We have to get up that early? Bed at 9PM? That's when the fun's just starting!"_

_"Gouken-sensei expects us to be punctual and focused."_

_Ken gave Ryu a condescending once-over. "I bet you just go along with all these dumb rules."_

_"Of course," Ryu said, oblivious to Ken's put-down._

_Sighing, Ken lamented, "This is going to be a really long summer."_

_"Ken. Ken! Wake up!" Ryu shook his sleeping roommate. "_Hurry up!"

_Swatting at his hand, Ken's voice was still heavy with sleep. "Leave me alone," he mumbled._

_Ryu continued to shake him anyway. "Ken, if we do not get up now and complete all of our work by 10 o'clock, we will have to endure punishment." Rolling over, Ken waved him away and commenced snoring. Not knowing what to do, Ryu bolted down his simple breakfast of rice and miso and hurried to complete their chores before training began._

_At 10:05, Gouken and his new pupil waited for Ryu to join them. Running up the stone steps to the training area, Ryu took his place next to Ken and sat down on the ground. "Ryu, you are late." Gouken's voice was laced with disapproval. _

_"_Please forgive me_, Sensei," Ryu apologized, bowing. "I was trying to finish-"_

_"Ryu, I do not care for excuses," Gouken continued. "It is your responsibility to finish on time and to be punctual when it is time to begin training." He gestured to Ken, who looked quite refreshed. "This is only Ken's first day, and he was on time. You should be setting a better example."_

_"_I understand_," was all Ryu could say, lowering his eyes._

_"As penance for your lackadaisical attitude, you will practice maintaining your positions until I say you may rest."_

_"Hai, sensei."_

_"_Begin_. Come, Ken," Gouken said paternally. "While Ryu contemplates his lack of discipline, I will teach you the foundation of Shotokan Karate. Ryu! Maintain your form!"_

_Later that day, as the two boys were seated for meditation, Ken said, "Hey man, I didn't mean to get you in trouble. That was real stand up of you not to rat me out. I owe you one, Buddy."_

_"Shhh!" Ryu hissed. "We are not supposed to speak during meditations."_

_Ken blew a puff of air into his bangs. "Doesn't that get boring?"_

_"Close your eyes and focus your thoughts," Ryu whispered._

_"My thoughts are focused on a burger and fries." He paused. "That reminds me, when do we eat?"_

_"After meditation," Ryu said through gritted teeth._

_"Well I hope it's not boring like breakfast was," Ken prattled on, unaware of how anxious this was making Ryu._

_"Ken, please, you must stop thinking of dinner and focus-"_

_"Ryu!"_

_At the sound of Gouken's voice, Ken screwed his eyes shut and sat with his palms up. "Ommmmmm…"_

_"I am disappointed in you, Ryu. A new student joins us and you behave so distractedly? I am saddened by your behavior. You will go without dinner tonight and since you distracted Ken from his meditation, he will sleep until 9 and you will wake at 5 to do chores. If you are late again for training, you will be severely punished." Patting Ken on the shoulder, he said, "Come, Ken, you must be hungry."_

_Springing to his feet, he shot Ryu an apologetic look before grinning at Gouken. "Boy, am I ever!" _

_Gouken laughed at his enthusiasm. "_Come on_. Ryu, you continue meditation. Your mind lacks discipline." _

_"Hey, Buddy!" Ken said, jumping on Ryu. He tousled his hair. "What kind of trouble are we going to get into today?"_

_That did it. Without thinking, Ryu swung at Ken, knocking him to the ground. "We! WE!" For the last three weeks, all you have done is fool around and for some reason, I am the only one who is punished!" _

_Ken wiped his bloody nose. "I said I was sorry," he said sheepishly._

_"RYU!"_

_Cringing, Ryu did an about face. The now familiar sight of Goukens pre-punishment face glowered at him. "How dare you strike our guest?! This really is the last straw-"_

_"_Please forgive me_, Sensei." Ryu whipped around. Ken had never used such a respectful tone before. Awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, he said, "It was my fault – I struck Ryu first."_

_Gouken looked long and hard at both boys "Very well," he said. "Ken, you will wake early and do Ryu's share of work as punishment for your impulsivity." Turning to Ryu, he remarked, "I apologize for having misjudged you, Ryu."_

_As Gouken walked away, Ryu looked at Ken, his mouth agape. "Why did you take the blame for me?"_

_Wiping his nose again, Ken shrugged. "No one's ever been as nice to me as you have."_

_"What?"_

_"No one's every treated me as well as you have. In America my dad's always busy working so he never spends time with me. Other kids know he's rich and usually that's the only reason they're nice to me." But you," Ken's voice was genuinely grateful, "I mean, you looked out for me, you coulda sold me out tons of times but you never did, you were always nice to me. I've never had a friend like you before. I thought I would hate it here, but these last few weeks have been some of the best times of my life."_

_Ryu thought back to his constant complaining when he first arrived. "Really?"_

_Grinning, Ken nodded. "Really. I think my parents were smarter than I figured, sending me here."_

_"You said sending, not ditching," Ryu noted._

_"Yeah, well," Ken's old swagger crept back, "I'll never give them the satisfaction of telling them that."_

_Ryu smiled warmly at Ken. "Come, we can't be late for training."_

_"Sure you can," was his roguish reply. "What's he gonna do, make us both get up early? There isn't enough work to be done. We can go back to sleep then." Laughing, they both walked up the steps to the training area._

_**********_

_Dressed in regular western clothes, Ken bowed deeply to Gouken. "Thank you for having me as your student, Sensei. It was a great experience."_

_"For all of us," Gouken said, smiling._

_Ken looked shyly at the ground. "Uh, Sensei?"_

_"Yes, child."_

_Hesitating for a moment, he stunned Ryu by saying, "Would it be alright if I came back next year?"_

_Taking note of the big smile on Ryu's face, Gouken patted Ken on the shoulder and said, "You are welcome back as often as you like."_

_"_My deepest thanks_, Gouken-sensei!"_

_Ryu walked him to the outskirts of the forest that surrounded the base of the mountain. "Goodbye, Ken. I am glad to have had the chance to get to know you._

_"Me too, Buddy." Untying the red ribbon that held his hair back, Ken held it out to Ryu. "A symbol of our friendship."_

_Deeply touched, Ryu took it from him and tied it around his forehead. Shaking his hand, he smiled and promised, "I will see you next summer."_

_"Bet on it," Ken said with a wink._

_"Oh man, I can't wait for you to meet my girlfriend!" a 19 year old Ken effused. _

_"She is coming here?" Ryu was sweeping the leaves off the steps to the dojo. _

_"Yeah, Sensei said it was okay as long as it didn't interfere with my training."_

_"Do you think that is possible?"_

_Ken flashed him a devious grin. "I guess we're gonna find out!" It made Ryu laugh to see his friend so excited. Looking down the dirt path, they both saw a blonde girl emerge from the forest. "Eliza!" Ken waved enthusiastically in welcome. Running to meet her, he grabbed her by the waist and twirled her around. "Hi, Babe!"_

_She laughed and hugged him fondly. "Hi, Handsome."_

_Taking her by the hand, he led her to the dojo steps. "Eliza, this is my best friend, Ryu. Ryu, this is my girlfriend Eliza."_

_"Pleased to meet you," she said warmly. "Ken has told me all about you." Willowy and elegant, she was quite lovely and her demeanor exuded kindness._

_"Only the good stuff," Ken said with mock seriousness._

_"Ken has talked of nothing else but you since the day he arrived," Ryu informed her. Eliza smiled smugly at Ken who simply averted his eyes and coughed._

_"So, aren't you going to show me around?" she asked._

_"Thought you'd never ask," Ken beamed, "Come on, Ryu. Let's give her the grand tour."_

_"Sensei, _are you alright_?!" Ryu, now in his twenties, ran to help his master back on his feet. Coughing up rivulets of blood, Gouken lacked the strength to stand. In front of them, Gouki's imposing form observed the damage he had done to his brother. _

_"Join me, _Older brother_," he urged. "It would be such an unforgivable waste to have to kill you. Together, with the power of the _Dark Hadou_, nothing in this world will be able to stop us."_

_"_Monster_!" Ryu shouted. "I'll kill you!" Ken raised his fists, ready to fight._

_Ryu felt a hand on his arm. "No, Ryu," Gouken said, struggling to speak. "You must never use your skills in the spirit of anger. I trained you to fight in order to be strong, not to kill."_

_The feeling of helplessness that washed over him was suffocating. "Sensei, if we don't kill him, he will destroy you."_

_Smiling, Gouken's face was serene as he said, "Then he will kill me, but I will not submit to the evil that has devoured him."_

_"You must not die!" Ryu said in anguish. _

_Gouken looked at the two boys who had now grown into men with pride. "You have made me as proud as any father could be of his sons." Ken tried to choke back his tears. "Honor my memory by always remaining faithful to what I taught you."_

_"Sensei," Ryu sobbed. Slumping in his arms, Gouken's eyes dimmed, and finally the light went out forever. Hugging his dead body, Ryu wept at Gouken's loss._

_Gouki's expression remained unconcerned. "Ryu," he intoned. "Gouken was weak and allowed himself to be beaten. Now he is dead. Release the anger within you and embrace the power of the _Dark Hadou_. You will be his successor and we shall be a destructive force the likes of which the world has never dreamed."_

_Hatred for Gouki boiled inside Ryu. Snarling, he began to channel energy between his hands, ready to obliterate his master's murderer. _

_"Ryu, NO!!" Putting his arm around Ryu's neck, Ken restrained him in a choke hold and pulled him back. _

_"Do not interfere, Ken," Ryu threatened him. "I will make him pay for what he did to our Sensei."_

_Ken's voice was tinged with sadness. "Then Gouken-sama died for nothing." Ryu lowered his hands. Putting his hands on Ryu's shoulders, Ken locked his gaze. "We have to honor his wishes, Ryu. We have to fight only to stop _the devil_, not to kill him."_

_Tears filled Ryu's eyes and he nodded in agreement. Facing their adversary, both men focused their combined efforts and with a cry of "Shinkuu Hadouken!" they unleashed twin streams of lightning at the demon._

"I have failed you, Sensei," Ryu said mournfully, as he placed flowers on his headstone. "Please, grant me the courage to resist Gouki's path." Though the weather had been calm all day, a strong breeze caught his _headband_, and it fluttered in the air briefly before falling again.


	9. Chapter 9: Primitive Memories

Over the next few days, Ryu set about tidying the dojo. Hauling water in traditional wooden buckets, he cleaned the wood floors of the dirt they had accumulated. Weeds had sprung randomly over Gouken's grave and Ryu diligently removed them one by one. The many cobwebs in the rafters attested to the spiders that had taken up residence in their absence. Wiping his brow with his forearm, Ryu surveyed his old home and satisfied that he had sufficiently restored the dojo, he sat cross-legged on the floor and began to meditate.

At first it was extremely difficult. Thoughts of Chun Li and their last encounter were difficult to banish, but after some time, his mind sank into a deep trance and he began to explore his inner depths. A deluge of emotions flooded him. Sadness then anger, pain of all types, happiness, a joy he thought that he had never experienced prior to meeting Chun Li. The distinct feeling of no longer being inside his body crept into his consciousness and he opened his eyes to see a small remote town in Japan. The few cars that were parked along the roads revealed that this was not the present day. A young boy's laughter caught his attention. Looking in the direction of the noise, he observed a little boy of approximately 4 years holding hands with a beautiful young woman in a pink and yellow _cotton summer dress_. Her smile radiated her love for the boy and his deep attachment to her was unmistakable from the shine in his eyes.

"Hey, mom!" _he bubbled._

_"_What_, Ryu?" Her voice was sweet and melodic. With a shock, Ryu realized that he was remembering his mother for the first time in his life. _

_The boy hopped up and down. "_Mom_, let's go see _Dad_."_

_She let out a peal of laughter. "Ryu, _you are so cute_! Your Papa is still at work, and we must wait for him to come home._

_Pouting, the boy looked up at his mother and said, "But I miss him! I want him to carry me on his back and swing me around!" He spun in circles and beamed at his mother._

_Patting his head, she cooed, "I know, you love to play with your Papa. Don't worry, He will be home soon."_

_He tugged at her sky blue obi. "Let's go home so we can wait for him!"_

_"Picking him up with a swoop, she tickled him and as he giggled said, "_Here, let's go_."_

"Mom…" Ryu whispered as he saw her leave with his younger self. The scene suddenly shifted to inside a house where the women, the boy and a man were all seated around a _kotatsu_. Sandwiched between his parents, the little boy happily stuffed mochi into his mouth.

_"Ryu," his mother laughed, "you must slow down!"_

_"_No_!" he said, shaking his head. "I want to see how many I can fit in my mouth!"_

_"Shall we have a contest?" the man said to him, with a smile._

_The boy shook his head again. "_Dad_ would win! Someday I will be big like you and then I will be able to beat you."_

_"_I see_," his father laughed as he looked lovingly at the boy's smiling mother._

Ryu studied his father's face. He saw that he had his mother's eyes and lips but his father's strong jaw and chin. Her hair was jet black, but his father's was a light brown. "_Father_," he said, wishing his father could hear him.

He reached out to touch the man, but his image slipped out of focus as the setting changed yet again. This time, the scene was not a peaceful nostalgic moment. People were screaming and running in terror. Some lay on the ground with their necks broken or covered in their own blood. In the foreground, a young Gouki was throwing people left and right. Ryu's head reeled. He had seen Gouki before? The little boy was standing on the sidewalk, with a frightened expression on his face.

_"_Mom_! _Dad_!" he called to them._

_"Ryu!" his father called, "_Hurry_! Get inside with your mother!" His father was running towards him when Gouki grabbed him and threw him along a brick fence. _

_"_Dad_!" _

_Bleeding and bruised, Ryu's father raised his head to see Gouki raising a car above his head. Laughing demonically, Gouki launched the car at his defenseless father."_

_"NO!!" he heard his mother's scream. _

_Her cries attracted Gouki's attention and he leered at her as she ran to her son. Shielding him with her body, she sobbed, "Why are you doing this?"_

_Ryu was still staring at the wreckage that marked where his father had been. "_Dad_?" he whispered. _

_"Why?" Gouki's laugh boomed in Ryu's ears. "There is no reason."_

_"_Monster_!" she cursed at him. "Leave us alone!" Suddenly, Gouki grabbed her by her waist. His hand was so large that the fingers met around his mother's abdomen. Desperately trying to free herself, she called to her son, "Ryu! Run!"_

_"Yes, little one," Gouki sneered. "Run. Or if you cannot, stay and watch as your mother dies simply because I wished it. With that, he began to clench his fist._

_She cried out in agony as Ryu heard her ribs collapsing under the crushing pressure of Gouki's fingers. The boy stood paralyzed as his mother writhed in pain. With a cruel smile, Gouki closed his fist and with a cry, she slumped over his hand, a stream of blood trailing from her lips._

_Casually tossing her body to the side, Gouki walked towards the boy. Each thunderous step shook the child until he was staring up at the monster. "Do not worry, child," Gouki said ominously. "You will not be separated from them long."_

_A familiar voice broke the eerie silence. "Gouki!"_

_Gouki turned to see a much younger Gouken standing behind him. "_Older brother_. I wondered when you would turn up."_

_Gouken stared angrily at his brother. "You would kill a child?"_

_A smirk curved over his lips. "I would kill anything if it gave me pleasure to do so," he said without remorse._

_"You are mad," Gouken shouted. "The _Dark Hadou_ has corrupted you!"_

_Turning back to the boy, Gouki said offhandly, "I do not care. What I do know though is that this power is marvelous, _amazing_!" He loomed over Ryu. "I can do anything I please and no one can stop me."_

_"You are wrong, brother," Gouken disagreed. I will stop you."_

_Ryu watched as the two giants fought each other. The force of their blows_ _was so great that the aftershocks caused nearby windows to shatter. They fought for what seemed like an eternity until a bright flash of light engulfed Gouki. When it had cleared, he lay unconscious on the pavement. _

_Ryu bolted for his mother's body. "_Mom_!" he cried, shaking her, "wake up!" Her eyes slowly opened and she looked at her son. _

_"R-yu," she whispered. "_I love you_…" And she was gone._

_"_Mom_? _Mom_!" he screamed._

_"Are you alright, little one?" Gouken asked Ryu. The boy simply stared mutely at the body of his mother. Taking him into his arms, Gouken promised him, "You will stay with me from now on."_

Screaming, Ryu's focus collapsed and he was alone on the floor of the dojo, covered in sweat. Slammiing his fist into the ground, he began to sob, the floodgates of so many years of repressed anguish now torn open. "_Mom, Dad, Master_,_ why_?" He wished he had never undertaken the meditation – the pain that the knowledge of his past brought was unbearable, outstripping any physical injury he had ever experienced. Feeling as if he had been orphaned by the world, he curled into a fetal position and blacked out into the oblivion of a dreamless sleep.

Outside the door, from within the vast darkness of the mountain forest, two scarlet eyes glowed brightly. "Ryu…" a voice rumbled.

* * *

_yukata_: traditional Japanese summer dress, usually made of lightweight cotton, dyed in bright colors, held in place with a long belt called an _obi_


	10. Chapter 10: The Pursuit

Shifting gears, Guile scowled at the odometer, which was metric and twisted uncomfortably in his seat. "Goddamn Japanese cars. Fucking kilometers per hour and no space to move."

"With the exception of sumo wrestlers, I don't think they make Japanese people in your size, Guile," Chun Li said, rolling down her window. "And even then, I don't think sumo wrestlers drive."

He merely grunted by way of reply.

Letting the wind hit her face, she sighed and settled back in her seat. "The countryside is lovely, isn't it? So peaceful."

"Yeah," he said flatly. "Friggin' spectacular."

"Haven't you ever stopped to smell the roses?"

He wasn't even paying attention, muttering under his breath, "…stupid puny cars for stupid, puny people who drive on the wrong side of the puny stinkin' road…"

"You're a real joy to be around you know that?" Chun Li said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Yep," he agreed. "A regular barrel of fucking monkeys." They drove in silence for a few miles. "So, you want to tell me what happened?" he finally asked.

Chun Li looked out the window again so he couldn't see her face. "Promise not to crash the car if I do?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Guile figured better leave well enough alone. For the time being anyway.

The scenery was becoming more and more rustic the further along they drove. Concrete gave way to gravel, then eventually dirt. Stopping the car, Guile stepped out and opened Chun Li's door for her.

"Why are we getting out here?"

"Bad news Princess," he said tossing her a backpack. "Hope you brought a pair of comfortable shoes, because we're going to have to hoof it for a stretch. Don't want Bison getting suspicious. With no cars around for miles, I think hearing one would blow our cover."

"Never thought of that," she mused. Guile shouldered a very large pack of his own and the two began the long trek into the mountains.

* * *

"I'm coming with you," she said defiantly, her eyes blazing, "and this is NOT up for negotiation, mister."

"Like hell you are!" Ken fumed as he threw a few things into his duffel bag. Zipping it shut, he added, "It's no place for a lady."

Eliza crossed her arms. "You forget, _this_ lady's been there before."

"Yeah, in the summertime, when Ryu wasn't a fucking psycho," Ken reminded her pointedly. Throwing his hands in the air, he shouted, "Did you suddenly develop amnesia and forget that he just happened to nearly asphyxiate his girlfriend?"

"Well since I'm sleeping with you, I guess I'll be safe." Her voice dripped sarcasm.

"That is _not_ the point and you know it," he said with exasperation.

"Then tell me, what _is_ the point, Ken?"

"It's not safe," he said simply.

"_You're_ going," she said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah and generally I can take care of myself."

"Ohhhh," she said with irritation. "So _you_ can take care of yourself, but _I_ can't take care of myself."

"Sweetie-"

"Don't 'sweetie' me!" she hissed. "So I get to sit on the sidelines and worry yet again. Heaven forbid if you let me come along so that I don't have to be so nervous, even if it means _you_ have to worry a little more."

Stunned, Ken repeated, "You worry about me?"

"Of course, you idiot," she yelled, turning her back on him.

Walking over to her, he hugged her fondly. "How come you never told me?"

"What was I going to do, tell you that I worry about you when you fight? I know that's part of who you are, and I accept that I have to just tolerate my anxiety. I just wish," her voice began to shake, "that you could do the same thing for me." Tears ran down her face and she angrily brushed them away.

Ken felt terrible watching her cry. Turning her to face him he enfolded her in his arms and held her close to him. "Baby, why do you want to go with me?"

"This isn't like a tournament," she said, her voice muffled against his chest. "What's happening to Ryu, it's terrible, and I don't want the same thing to happen to you. At least if I'm with you, I'll know you're okay."

"Okay," he relented, "come with me, but don't go doing anything heroic that requires me saving you from the clutches of death." He stroked her arm soothingly as she quieted her sobs. "You really do love me, don't you?" His voice was pleasantly surprised.

"Against my better judgment," she sniffled.

"Well, I guess I better take advantage of that." He tilted her chin up. "Will you marry me?"

Eliza was dumbstruck. "What?"

Getting down on one knee, Ken shrugged and said, "Well, I was going to wait for a more romantic moment, but since you're all about making bad decisions, I figured I'd capitalize on the opportunity. Never know when you're going to come to your senses, right? Whaddya say?"

She threw her arms around him and laughed. "What _took_ you so long?"

Ken shrugged again. "Ehn, I wanted to make sure you were in it for the long haul. I know I can be a pill sometimes."

Punching him on the shoulder by way of agreement, she answered, "If both of us get out of this alive, then the answer is yes."

"Good." He kissed her nose. "Time to rock and roll."

* * *

Still unconscious, Ryu lay sprawled on the floor. Watching with keen interest suspended from the rafters was an extremely eager Vega. "He's completely knocked out," he said gleefully into his earpiece. "I could gut him before he ever realized what was happening."

"No," Bison warned. "We need him alive."

Vega glared at Ryu. "I'll make him pay for breaking my nose."

"Just for a little while could you think about something other than how ridiculously in love with yourself you are?" Bison spat disgustedly. "There are more important things to tend to right now." He paused and continued, "But," a smile could be heard in his voice, "when he awakens, you will have your chance to exact vengeance. That should bring us closer to power of the _Dark Hadou_."

"Fine," Vega sniffed in a disappointed tone, "If I can't turn him into a pair of stockings, I'm returning." Slinking across the rafters with cat-like agility, he nimbly jumped out the window without making a sound.

* * *

"Stop, I need to rest!" Chun Li pleaded as she sat on a small boulder by the side of the footpath she and Guile had been walking for the last hour. It felt good to sit and she tried to catch her breath.

"It's going to be dark soon," Guile warned. "We have to keep moving."

"Just a few minutes," she begged.

"No can do, Chun." He scooped her up and swung her up on his shoulders. "How 'bout I give you a lift instead?" She rubbed his stubbly head affectionately and he scowled at the reminder that his hair had only started to grow back.

About a mile down, a small wooden shack, barely the size of a single room was visible, partially hidden among the trees and vines. Guile knelt down so Chun Li could dismount and removed his backpack. Opening the sliding door, Chun Li examined the rickety shanty. "A touch of paint, some curtains and this place will fix up nicely," she joked.

Guile slid the door shut and his bulky frame nearly filled the whole space. Outside the light was fading quickly and the thin paper covering the tiny windows turned orange, then purple. Opening his bag, Guile removed some bedding, a laptop, a pair of night vision goggles and a few bottles of water. Handing one to Chun Li, he smoothed some blankets on the floor and opened his computer. "Damn, there's no signal here." Deciding it was a waste of power, he turned it off. "Guess you're going to have to bunk with me tonight," he said apologetically.

Chun Li finished her water and put the empty bottle in a plastic bag. "That's fine. I'm exhausted from all that hiking anyway." Guile removed his boots and lay down. Patting the space next to him, he waited for her to settle in and covered her with a blanket. Yawning, she kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Guile."

"Sleep tight, Beautiful." He waited until he heard her breathing even out and when he was certain she wasn't going to wake up, he pulled on his boots and grabbed his goggles. Quietly opening the door, he slipped out into the night.

* * *

Chun Li was dreaming and she saw herself wearing a blue and gold unitard, practicing her high kicks on a wooden frame.

_"Every day the improvement in your skills exceeds expectation," a kindly voice remarked._

_She bowed to the elderly man. His hair was entirely white, as was his long beard, his kindface wrinkled with the passage of time. Mostly blind, his irises were covered in a milky film, cataracts having claimed his vision long ago. He clapped his bony hands with approval._

_Putting her fist into her palm and bowing her respects, she greeted him. "Gen, sifu, I was not expecting you today." A smile of pleasure graced her features. The old man had been a loving second father since her own father's death. He walked slowly to where she was standing. Chun Li grinned, thinking how the casual observer would assume that he was a defenseless grandpa, but she knew how in an instant he could martial his strength to become as deadly as the mantis that he mimicked._

_"Come sit with me, child," he said, beckoning her to a bench. He sat down with a little difficulty, his joints creaking. "Oh, this wretched frail body of mine," he sighed contemptuously._

_"Oh, sifu, I think you have held up remarkably well." Her smile gradually began to disappear as she noticed that he was unusually quiet. Not that he'd ever been much for words, but he seemed more reticent than was typical for him. "Sifu." She tried to squelch the growing alarm inside her. "What is it?"_

_He took her hand in his leathery ones and patted it. "I will be leaving you soon."_

_"What?" For a moment, she thought she had heard him incorrectly, but then she realized that she had known something was wrong for a while. She had simply done her best to ignore the feeling, telling herself that it was only his age catching up with him, but it was hard to ignore the fact that Gen had lost a great deal of weight in the last few months and she often caught him grimacing in pain when he thought she wasn't looking. "How long have you known," she asked quietly._

_"For a little while now, a few months," he replied. Though he was blind and could not see her expression, he could feel her sadness and fear. "Leukemia, they say. I know you would have liked me to tell you sooner," he said understandingly, "but I did not want you to spend your last months with me weighted down with sadness. I am sorry, it was selfish of me, but I could not bear to see you that way."_

_Panic began to rise in her stomach. "Then you're telling me now because…" _

_"I am preparing myself for my departure from this world," he finished softly._

_Tears flooded her eyes and she flung her arms around him, unwilling to believe that he too would be leaving her behind. He hugged her affectionately, but his body felt almost skeletal to her. _

_"No!" She shook her head and wiped her eyes, refusing to accept the news. "It's not too late! You can get treatment! There are medications, radiation therapies, even bone marrow transplants-"_

_He held up his hand to silence her. "I will not spend my remaining days on this earth a withered husk of a man, weakened by the ravages of both disease and medicines." He smiled sadly. "It is fitting that it is thus. - payment for the sins of a misspent and wayward youth. But I still have the ability to dictate the manner of my passing and I refuse to spend what time I have left waiting for the moment when death will claim me I will choose the hour of my death, and make my transition with my dignity intact."_

_Burying her face in her hands, her heartbroken sobs wracked her body. "Sifu, what will I do when you are gone? I will be all alone." Losing her father had been painful enough, but to lose another man who had become equally important to her was unbearable._

_He patted her cheek in consolation. "I am old. You are young and in the flower of your youth, your entire life before you."_

_"I don't care! It's meaningless if you're gone," she wept._

_"You will find new meaning, child. I promise you that." He held her to him as she cried. "One day you will meet a young man who will keep to your side and never leave you." Pulling himself away from her, he handed her a box wrapped in shiny red paper, tied with gold thread._

_"What is it?" Chun Li asked, sniffling._

_"Open it and see," he urged._

_Untying the thread, the wrapping paper fell away and she opened the black lacquer box to reveal a large pair of black cuffs studded with stainless steel spikes. They looked a bit large for her slender wrists. "Sifu…"_

_"I had meant to give them to your father," he said with a sad smile, "but he vanished before I had the opportunity. They are yours now." _

_Chun Li looked into his unseeing eyes and hugged him once more. "Shyeh shyeh." _

_It was still dark in the early hours of the next morning. Chun Li watched the waves lapping the shore and finished stacking wood into a small boat. Arranging Gen's body reverently on the pyre, she bowed her last respects and lit the makeshift altar. Pushing the boat out to sea, she watched as the flames mounted higher, consuming the body of her beloved teacher. "Goodbye, sifu," she whispered. She maintained her vigil on the vanishing boat until flames had completely died away._

* * *

_sifu_: (Mandarin) teacher


	11. Chapter 11: Emotionally Charged

Noiselessly, the door slid open again and Guile crept into the room, pulling his night vision goggles off his head. Having found no sign of Bison or his henchmen in the surrounding area, he decided to get some rest. Lying down next to Chun Li, he noted the tears on her cheeks and felt his heart ache for her continual sadness. Hugging her to him, it never ceased to amaze him how important she had become in his life. It had been many years since they had first met in Hong Kong. At the time, he was still active in the Air Force, and mourning over Charlie's death. He thought back to when they had first met.

_"Major Guile?" A pretty Chinese woman extended her hand with a smile. "Chun Li. I'll be your attaché to Interpol - I've been assigned to work with you on this case."_

_Guile looked at the petite woman and said in a disinterested tone, "Sorry, Lady. I don't do partners."_

_Stunned, Chun Li stared at him for a moment before a scowl formed on her face. "Hold on a minute, Major!" she interjected. "This is not up to you. We have our orders and I AM going to be working with you whether you like it or not, so I suggest you start getting comfortable with the idea sooner rather than later."_

_She was a feisty one. He couldn't help but smile a little. "Fine," he said gruffly, "just make sure to stay out of my way." He turned abruptly and walked away._

_"Hey!" Chun Li balled her hands into fists and growled at his retreating back._

_Walking into the parking lot, Guile fished in his cargo pocket for his keys, trying to remember where he had parked._

_"Hello again."_

_His eyes shot up to see Chun Li seated on the hood of his Mustang, smiling beatifically. "Shotgun?" she said with a smile._

_"If you don't mind, I have some leads to follow up on," he said curtly. _

_She ignored the hint. "Really?" Her eyebrows went up. "Where are we going?"_

_Seeing that his attempts at tact were wasted on her, picking her up by her tiny waist, he plunked her on the ground and unlocked the driver's side door. "WE are not going anywhere," he told her emphatically. "I, on the other hand, am going to go run some background checks." As he pulled the key out of the lock, he heard her go "Yah!" and his key ring suddenly flew out of his fingers. _

_Catching it neatly in her hand, she twirled the keys around her finger and arched her eyebrow. "Well, I guess you'll be taking a taxi then, Major." Guile ground his teeth. This broad was really starting to get on his nerves. "Or," she offered as a solution, "you can stop being so goddamn macho and decide that it really wouldn't be so painful to have to work with me." _

_Guile felt himself getting more and more annoyed as she dangled his keys in front of him, smiling sweetly. He lunged for her but she jumped to the side. "Damn you," he shouted._

_"Are you going to start being reasonable?" _

_He tried again to retrieve his keys and once again, she hopped effortlessly out of reach. "This isn't funny anymore! Hand them over!" he barked._

_Sighing, she clucked her tongue and said, "You know you're making this way harder than it needs to be." Pulling the front of her blouse forward, she dropped his keys into her cleavage and looked challengingly at him. "I'd start hailing a cab if I were you. Time's a wasting!"_

_Even though he was furious, Guile couldn't help noticing what a nice set she had. Turning back to the task at hand he threatened, "Don't assume I won't go there! If you think something like that will stop me, you're dead wrong."_

_"Go ahead then," she said archly, calling his bluff. As a challenge, she pointed her chest out at him a little and gestured to it. Chun Li tried not to laugh as she watched his face go from a violent shade of red to a livid purple. A large vein had appeared on his temple. She could practically see it throbbing from ten feet away and had to stifle a giggle. The American was fun to mess with._

"_Alright, fine!" he bellowed, unlocking the passenger side door. "But," he pointed a large index finger squarely in her face, "Don't – touch – anything. Do you read me?"_

_She had already slipped inside the car. "Loud and clear," she said gamely, strapping herself into the seat. "Ooh! What's this-?"_

_"WHAT DID I __**JUST**__ SAY?" Guile thundered._

_She shrank back in the seat and smiled playfully. "I was only looking," she explained in a small, lilting voice. Fishing around in her bra, she handed him the keys and grinned innocently. Snatching them out of her hand, they were still warm from being nestled between her breasts. _

_Jabbing the key into the ignition, he angrily started the engine. "Baby sitting," he muttered in disgust. "Fly ten thousand miles halfway across the world and I'm fucking baby sitting!" Chun Li simply giggled and held up two fingers to him._

She had teased him relentlessly about the way he had behaved at their first meeting. Still, he had to admit that he never could have predicted how much she would come to grow on him. After losing Charlie, he'd had enough with worrying about other people and avoided closeness at all costs. Still, in spite of himself, he couldn't help but admire her strength and dedication as well as her kind and generous nature. The tragedy of her past brought out a protective side to him that he never knew he possessed, and it wasn't long before he realized he loved her – and that she didn't love him back, not in the way that mattered, anyway. He sighed and wiped her cheek gently, pulling the covers over her shoulders. "You're an idiot, Ryu," he thought to himself as he went to sleep.

* * *

Still in the same place where he had passed out, Ryu's eyes twitched underneath their lids, indicating that he had finally entered REM sleep. The dream he was having was set at the dojo. A young Ryu, dressed in simple white cotton robes, sat in front of Gouken as he attempted to coax some rice into the child's mouth.

_"Sa," he said gently, holding a small spoon of rice in his massive hand. "You must eat, little one. Aren't you hungry?"_

_The little boy stared down at the floor silently. Gouken sighed. The boy had been listless and withdrawn since the day he first set foot on the mountain. For the last week, he had barely eaten anything and had spoken not a single word. At night, Gouken would awaken to the sound of his screams as he slept, calling out for his dead mother and father. "_Mom_! _Dad_! _Stop it_! _Please stop_!" Then when he had exhausted himself, his sobs replaced his cries. _

_Not sure how to engage the boy, Gouken set the rice bowl and spoon down and pondered for a moment. Looking at him out of the corner of his eyes, he an idea formed in his head. Resting his chin in his palm, he pretended to be bored and he channeled a small amount of his life energy into the tip of his finger, which began to glow an electric shade of blue. Glancing over, he noted with satisfaction that he had succeeded in snagging the child's interest. He appeared transfixed by the blue flame that danced on his fingertip. Shutting off the flow of energy, Gouken allowed the flame flicker out of sight._

_Ryu blinked, and said softly, "_More_." He looked at Gouken._

_The large man felt a warm rush seeing the boy finally speak. "Would you like me to do it again?" he asked in a pleasant voice."_

_"Mm," he said, his eyes wide._

_Picking up the bowl, Gouken told him, "I promise I will, but you must do something for me first. I need you to eat something. When you finish your meal, I will make the light return." He gave a smile of approval when the boy opened his mouth._

_Ten minutes later, the bowl was empty and Gouken sat cross-legged on the floor with Ryu crouched next to him. The child's tiny hands rested on his gigantic leg as he watched the bright energy that Gouken commanded. "Can I learn to do that?" he asked in a wondrous tone._

_Gouken smiled paternally at his young charge. "Anyone can learn to do it, but it requires great patience and much work." The boy looked again at the luminous display. "Do you still wish to learn?"_

_He nodded solemnly, far too gravely for someone of the age of a mere four years. "I do."_

_Seating him in front of himself, Gouken's voice became serious as he told him, "I can teach you to master your mind and your body, to become strong and to know no fear. But there is one condition that must be met before I will agree to show you the ways of Shotokan warrior. A true warrior never utilizes his knowledge and power for selfish or personal reasons. He seeks only to further himself through patience and discipline. I require your word as your bond that you will remain faithful to this spirit." He gave the child a moment to process what he had said. "Do you give it?"_

_"Hai," he said determinedly._

_"_Good_." Gouken stood up and the boy followed his example. "What is your name?"_

_"_My name is Ryu_," he answered, trying to make himself sound strong._

_"Very well, Ryu-kun. From this moment, you will address me as your _teacher_. You have difficult times ahead of you, but the rewards of your diligence will be great." He gestured for the boy to follow him. "Come." Sliding the door open, Ryu became confused. It was daytime, but the sky was black, as if it were night and glowed a strange red color. Suddenly the ground began to tremble and Ryu felt absolute terror surge through his body._

* * *

From far away, if passerby were to look closely at the mountain, they would be able to see a faint red glow emanating from its peak. A loud rumbling growl rolled through the claret sky, shaking the trees. "_Ryu_…"

"NO!!" Ryu screamed, bolting upright. Panting heavily, he threw the sliding door of the dojo open and beheld the red light that illuminated the mountaintop, the scarlet heavens reflected in his eyes. "_It cannot be_…"

* * *

Guile sat up suddenly at the sound of twigs snapping outside the shack. Chun Li continued sleeping, unaware that anything was amiss. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was approximately midnight. Noiselessly flattening his body against the wall, he could make out at least two voices conversing indistinctly and they were coming closer. Waiting until the door opened, he grabbed the first person that entered and flung the stunned intruder into the far side of the hut.

Smacking the wall, Ken fell to the floor as Eliza let out a scream. Recovering quickly, he jumped to his feet and raised his fists, ready to attack. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the small room, he realized who it was that had thrown him. Rubbing his aching shoulder, he shouted, "What the hell was that for? And what are you two doing here?" Eliza ran over to him to ensure that he was unharmed. Chun Li sat up and rubbed her eyes, wondering what all the commotion was about. She blinked in surprise when she saw Ken and Eliza standing in the cramped space.

"That was my question for you," Guile replied, shooting an annoyed look at Ken. "What the hell were you doing creeping around in the dark out there anyway?" he demanded indignantly.

"We came up here to make sure Ryu was okay," he said defensively. Chun Li suddenly sat up a little straighter at the mention of his name. "We weren't expecting that the space would be occupied already. I thought Ryu and I were the only ones who knew about it." Ken massaged his back, a pained expression on his face. Sitting on the floor, he removed his shoes and asked, "So what exactly _are_ the two of you doing here?"

"Following Bison. For some reason he decided to come here," Guile explained.

Ken furrowed his brow. "He wants, Ryu, but for what, I don't know."

"He's here?" Chun Li couldn't help asking hopefully.

"Oh, shit." He clapped his hand to his face in dismay. "You were the last person on earth who was supposed to know about this place!"

"I have to talk to him," she said grabbing his shirt. "Where is he? Tell me, Ken!"

Disentangling himself from her grip, he firmly shook his head. "No way, Chun. I can't do it. Bad enough that you just happened to come here by pure coincidence, but I'm not telling you where exactly Ryu is. He wants to be left alone and if you care about him, do as he asks."

"But you're here!" she said hotly.

"Only to keep tabs on him and to make sure he's okay," Ken clarified. "Eliza and I have no intention of letting him find out that we came here. And I suggest that you should do the same," he advised her.

"He's right, Chun Li," Eliza agreed. "Have some patience and give him the space that he needs right now."

She looked to Guile who raised his hands in a don't-get-me-involved-in-this-argument gesture. "Fine!" she said with frustration. If none of you will help me, I'll find him myself!" Snatching Guile's goggles and her shoes, she sprinted out the door.

"Chun Li! You crazy broad, get your ass back in here!" Guile commanded, trying not to shout. The last thing he needed to do was to alert either Ryu or Bison to there whereabouts, if they were nearby.

Seeing the red glow from the mountain's peak, she decided to move in that direction. Switching on the night vision, she made her way through the brambles and trees, and as she climbed up the mountainside, she found a faint trail that had once been well worn but now was almost invisible from years of neglect. **Pay dirt**, she thought to herself with satisfaction. Tracing the little path further, the trees became spaced further apart as a clearing came in to view. There were a few small shacks and a large structure with stone steps leading to its doors and she felt her heart pound when she saw Ryu standing in the entryway, staring into the night. She was about to walk closer to get a better view but was suddenly yanked back into the darkness. A big hand clamped over her mouth to muffle any sounds she might make. Jerking her limbs, she attempted to free herself from her unknown assailant, but he held her with an iron grip.

Her captor set her down and she saw Guile's irritated face in the dim light. Under his breath, he ordered, "Don't make a sound." She was about to say something to object, but his irritation turned to frank anger and he pointed a finger at her in warning, his eyes blazing. Seeing him so irate made her think twice about speaking, so she held her tongue.

Pulling the goggles off her head, he held them to his eyes and made a visual survey of the area. Looking over at the dojo, he saw that Ryu was in fact there. He appeared to be mesmerized by something in the distance. Pulling the goggle strap securely around his head, he lifted Chun Li onto his back and worked his way back to the shack. Once they were inside, he closed the door and stared at Chun Li for a full minute in silence, breathing heavily. Even Ken began to feel a little intimidated.

When he finally spoke, his voice was calm but the rage that he was actively suppressing was all too evident. "That," he began deliberately, "was an incredibly stupid thing to do." His words were slow and measured as he tried to control his temper. "It was reckless, not to mention very fucking dangerous! You could have gotten hurt or even killed! That part aside, have you forgotten that we still have a job to do?" She avoided his eyes. "Look, I know this is hard for you," he continued. "But you can't allow your personal feelings to get in the way of your judgment!"

"Hey, Guile, lighten up a little, man," Ken said in her defense. "After all, she's okay."

"You stay out of this!" Guile spat, venomously. "And you," he said, turning back to Chun Li, "Have you forgotten what the last 9 years have been about? This is about Bison. You've waited so long to get to him, for what he did to your father, and now that the opportunity is at hand, you'd throw it all away?"

Chun Li was quiet. Finally she admitted, "You're right. I have been behaving way too impulsively. I can't let my personal life interfere with something we've worked so hard for. I'm sorry, Guile." She was relieved to see that her apology had somewhat diminished his anger. Scooting closer to the wall, she made room for Ken and Eliza on the floor. "Let's get some sleep and pick this up in the morning," she said with determination.

* * *

About ten miles from where they were staying, Chun Li and Guile discovered that Bison had set up shop in one of the mountain's many recessed caves. It had taken them the better part of the day to find it. A helicopter sat on a hastily constructed heliport and satellite arrays had been placed in various locations, likely so that Bison could stay in constant contact with the other members of Shadowlaw. The pair watched patiently, waiting to see what their next move would be. For the most part, they spent the day performing very mundane tasks, but as the sun began its descent over the horizon, Bison called for Vega and Balrog to follow him as he exited the cave. Looking at Chun Li, Guile silently motioned for her to fall back.

Shadowing the group, Chun Li's fears were confirmed when she saw that Bison was leading them straight to the dojo. It was now pitch dark outside and a fierce wind was beginning to sweep over the mountain. Unable to see clearly, Guile gestured for Chun Li to follow him up into the trees. Fortunately the wind created so much noise that it was doubtful that Bison was any wiser to their presence. From their new vantage point, they saw Vega spring onto the roof and brandishing his blades with obvious relish, he slipped into one of the windows. "No," Chun Li whispered with dread.

* * *

Trying again to focus his thoughts, Ryu sat cross-legged on the floor, a lone candle providing the only light in the large dojo. Suddenly, he heard an odd creak from one of the beams above. Sensing that there was another presence in the room, he nonchalantly licked the tip of his finger, put out the candle and waited. After a few minutes, the creaking began again, but this time it was right above his head. Adrenaline flooded his body, heightening his senses. Every muscle tensed, ready to strike.

* * *

"KYEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Both Guile and Chun Li nearly lost their grip when the shrill cry pierced the air. In spite of the loud rustling of the trees, it could easily be heard above the din. This was followed by the loud sound of splintering wood and paper tearing as Vega burst through the main doors of the entrance to the dojo face first. Falling on his back, Vega performed a backspring and righted himself. With a snarl he pointed his blades at the entrance. Stepping over the wreckage of the door, Ryu stared impassively at Vega, then he looked past the Spaniard and his eyes came to rest on Bison.

"What do you want of me?" he asked.

A large smile spread across Bison's face. "I want the power of the _Dark_ _Hadou_."

Ryu kept his eyes unflinchingly locked on Bison's. "What do you want with the Dark Hadou?"

"What do you think?" Bison replied. "I will harness its power and once it is at my disposal Shadowlaw will extend its dominion over the entire world without opposition. This whole planet will be in the palm of my hand."

He stood stone still for a moment. The only part of him that moved was the _headband_ that flailed in the wind. "You have no idea what it is that you desire," Ryu intoned gravely. "If you did, you would not seek to possess it."

"Spare me your trivial philosophy lessons," Bison said apathetically. "I just want what I came for."

"And I will not give it to you," he resolved. Ryu assumed a defensive stance and waited.

"Presumptuous fool," Bison leered. "Who said anything about wanting it from you?"

Ryu was taken aback. "_What_?"

"HYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

His question was cut short as Vega suddenly slashed at his side. Because he had been distracted, Ryu was unable to react quickly enough to avoid the strike and the blade superficially sliced through him. Clutching his side, Ryu looked at the blood streaming between his fingers and felt anger kindling inside him. Clenching his bloody fist, he drove it home deep into Vega's abdomen, knocking him off his feet. Falling on his back, Vega gasped for breath as Ryu knelt over him. Tearing off his mask, he tossed it aside and paused for an instant to watch Vega's eyes widen in fear before he smashed his knuckles into his face.

Chun Li watched in horror as he mercilessly rained punches down on his head. Even if Vega were by some chance to survive the assault, nothing short of a miracle would ever return his face to any semblance of normalcy. Ryu's eyes began to glow a cruel shade of red and Vega certainly would have died right then had another burst of red light not captured Ryu's attention.

Bison smiled broadly, a look of rapture on his face. "At last," he murmured with anticipation. "It is here."


	12. Chapter 12: Confrontation of the Shadow

From the depths of the forest, the red glow became brighter and brighter, finally revealing the dark figure that was its source.

Upon recognizing his nemesis, Ryu ceased his punishment of Vega. "Gouki…"

Laughing condescendingly, Bison looked down at Ryu and scoffed, "Did you really think I wanted anything to do with you? Your heart is too weak to give me what I desire. But this one," he said looking at Gouki, "he has no such compunctions to limit him."

Each step that Gouki took shook the ground and Ryu felt a primitive sensation of fear that had been burned into his memory long ago rear its head. Gouki paid no attention to Bison as he made his way towards his target. Hidden in the trees, Chun Li and Guile could not believe what they were seeing, unsure if it was a man or a demon. Standing in front of Ryu, who was still hunched over the unconscious Vega, Gouki greeted him for the first time since his master's death. "_It's been a long time, _Ryu. Our destinies appear intertwined. You have found me yet again." His smile sent a shudder through Ryu – it was devoid of any compassion or feeling.

Gouki casually looked over Vega's body and nodded with approval. "_Good_. It has begun."

"_No_!" Ryu shouted. "I will not go the same path as you!" he vowed.

Gouki threw his head back and laughed. "_Really_? You already have," he said gleefully, gesturing towards Vega. "He is all but dead, why not finish him?"

"_It's not like that_! I..I-" Ryu could not think of what to say, as he realized that the _demon_ was right.

"_What's the matter_?" Gouki's eyes narrowed, turning into red slits. "Have you lost your taste for destruction?"

"I would not have killed him!" Ryu protested.

"_Is that so_?" Gouki countered. His smile was cruel. "I beg to differ. You enjoyed it did you not? The power, the freedom to indulge the most vile of desires. After a life of such self-denial and discipline, it must have been glorious to lay your inhibitions aside and do what comes naturally to us."

"_Shut up_!" Ryu tried to staunch the blood seeping from his ribcage. "It does not come naturally to me! It is evil!"

"So are we." Ryu cringed at his usage of the word "we". "You and I," Gouki continued relentlessly, "we are more alike than you could ever imagine. In another life we could easily have been brothers."

His skin crawled at the idea. "Would you kill me too, as you killed your own brother?" Ryu demanded.

Gouki laughed derisively. "He was weak and therefore no brother of mine. I have more kinship with you than I did with him. You understand the power of the _Dark Hadou_, that it is something to be utilized, enjoyed even. Gouken was afraid of its potential and rejected it outright and as payment for his stupidity, he died a fool's death. I have great faith that you will not repeat his error."

"_Demon_, I will not become like you," Ryu said. His consciousness began to fade in and out. The loss of blood from the wound Vega had inflicted was beginning to take its toll and his vision began to blur.

Gouki turned his attention from Ryu to see Bison approaching him. "The power you possess is indeed a remarkable gift," Bison said admiringly. "If he will not take the opportunity," he gestured at Ryu, "then I would be most happy to have the strength of the _Dark Hadou_."

Gouk looked at him with disinterest and faced away from him. Surprised, then irritated, Bison wondered why he turned had turned his back on him when Gouki answered his question as if reading his thoughts. "You cannot be a vessel for the Dark Hadou," he said simply.

Bison began to feel annoyed. "And why is that?"

"You are a small man," he continued in a bored tone, keeping his back to him. "You are not, and will never be capable of such a feat."

Bison ground his teeth in anger but forced himself to keep his mind on his ultimate goal. "Very well then," he conceded. "If I cannot master the Dark Hadou, join me instead. With your command of the _Dark Hadou_ combined with the might of Shadowlaw, nothing in this earth will obstruct our path." He waited eagerly for his answer. He was shocked when Gouki began to laugh contemptuously.

"_Idiot_," he drawled, "do you think that the petty concerns you chase hold even the slightest appeal for me? You are not even worthy enough to kill."

"How dare you?!" Bison roared. "Do you know who I am?"

"I do not care," he returned indifferently. "What I do know is that you are of no consequence to me."

Enraged at being belittled in such a fashion, Bison, decided to show the fool who he had just insulted. "Balrog!" he ordered. "Destroy him!"

As they were about equal size, Balrog knocked his fists together in anticipation as he approached Gouki. Without even looking up, he hurled a ball of energy at the boxer that sent him careening backwards. Upon landing, Balrog crumpled in a heap, never to rise again. His blood began to collect in a thick puddle around him.

Incensed, Bison angrily threw off his cloak and began to gather energy to deliver his psycho punch. Rearing back, he used all his strength to subjugate Gouki and charged. He stumbled backwards in disbelief when his blow failed to ruffle the demon in the slightest.

For the first time, Gouki deigned to look at him. "I had planned to simply take your life in the same manner I would kill a fly," he began. "But my curiosity has gotten the better of me, and I wished to see the face of the simpleton who pursued his own demise with such determination."

"It can't be…" Bison thought aloud, his eyes wide.

"Indeed," Gouki confirmed. The red glow around him vanished abruptly and the area was instantly blanketed in darkness. Suddenly there was a loud roar and the air was punctuated with bright flashes of light the sounds of flesh being savagely beaten. For a moment, there was silence. The only noise was the wind as it whipped through the trees. Gradually the light resumed around Gouki and illuminated Bison's body, or what was left of it. It had been mangled beyond belief and Chun Li resisted the urge to vomit at the sight.

"My god," Guile murmured, horrified.

"_Shit_!" Ryu cursed. "You killed him!"

"You would not have?"

"_No_…" His voice faltered as he collapsed atop Vega.

Gouki observed him for a moment before turning back to the forest. "We shall continue this later," he promised. Walking past the trees where Guile and Chun Li had secreted themselves, he look upwards and Chun Li stifled herself from gasping when their eyes met. Guile readied himself for the attack that he was certain would come, but for some reason, the demon simply smirked and continued on his way. The red light he cast dwindled as he went further into the forest until it disappeared from view completely.

Dropping out of the trees, Chun Li and Guile ran to where Ryu amd Vega had fallen. Chun Li was relieved to see that Ryu's pulse was still palpable. Guile looked up from Vega's prostrate form and shook his head solemnly. "He's dead?" she asked incredulously.

Guile made no answer and instead handed her the night vision goggles. "Go back to the shack and grab my med kit and a flashlight," he instructed her. "I'll stay here with him in case that thing comes back. Hurry, he's lost a lot of blood and there's not much time."

Nodding, she strapped on the goggles and prayed that there was enough time. Sprinting back to the little hut, she startled Ken and Eliza awake as she threw the door open.

"What's going on?" Ken asked, trying to get his bearings.

"Some sort of monster came looking for Ryu," she explained hastily, scrambling through Guile's pack. "Bison was waiting for him and he killed him-There!" She found the metal box of emergency medical supplies and grabbed it.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ken shouted.

"Ryu's been hurt, I have to get this to Guile!" She grabbed the flashlight and dashed out again.

"WHAT?!" Ken threw off the blankets. "Eliza, stay here," he said hurriedly. Sliding his feet into his sneakers he followed Chun Li.

The two ran as fast as they possibly could through the forest and finally saw the dojo up ahead. Running up the steps, they saw Ryu lying on the floor, his face ashen.

"Give it here," Guile shouted, impatiently holding out his hand. Chun Li tore open the plastic that covered the kit and handed it to him. Turning on the flashlight, he instructed Chun Li to hold it above him so he could see Ryu's wound more clearly. Flipping open the container, he pulled out some prepackaged iodine swabs and sterilized the deep cuts. Pulling on a pair of gloves, he spread a sterile sheet with a window cut out of it over the damaged area. "Ken," he said urgently. "Put on a pair of gloves and put pressure on the other wounds!" Ken hurried to follow his instructions. Loading a hemostat with a suture needle, approximating the edges of the wound, he quickly stitched them together. He did this twice more for the other cuts and dressed the three incisions with gauze and medical tape. Peeling off his gloves, he checked Ryu's pulse and frowned. "Well, he won't lose anymore blood, but his pressure must be pretty low because I can't feel his pulse very clearly." Standing up, he stretched and wiped his brow. "We'll have to get a lot of fluid in him. I don't have any IV bags here so we're just going to have to make him drink a lot when he regains consciousness."

"Can't we give him some now?" Chun Li begged."

"No," he replied. "Right now, he's unconscious. If we try to force him to drink, some of the water may get into his lungs and in his current state, I don't think he could handle getting pneumonia." He put a hand on Chun Li's shoulder. "We've done all we can for now," he told her softly. "We have to wait and see how he does."

Chun Li sat next to Ryu and held his hand in hers. "Thank you, Guile," she whispered.

He nodded in response and went outside to get some air. Sitting on the steps of the dojo, he looked up at the sky. It was actually quite beautiful there. The wind had quieted and with no light pollution so far from a big city, the sky was a mantle of black studded with stars. Leaning back on his elbows, Guile examined the constellations, feeling strangely calm after the chaotic events of the last hour.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Guile turned his head to see Ken standing next to him. "Yeah," he said simply in agreement.

"Mind if I join you?" Ken asked politely. Guile nodded his assent. "We used to stare at the stars at night sometimes when we were supposed to be asleep, Ryu and I that is," he explained genially. "At first I couldn't get him to come out because he was so set on following all the rules, but after I finally convinced him that we wouldn't get caught, we made it a regular thing in the summer. He was never much for talking a lot," Ken rambled, "but it was almost like we never had to talk, like we just sort of understood each other, you know?"

"Mm hm," Guile said aimlessly.

Ken paused for a moment, before continuing. "I wanted to say thanks," he said quietly. Guile looked over at him, surprised. "For helping him out like that. I mean, if you hadn't been out there, I'd never have known that Ryu was in trouble and I'm sure he wouldn't have survived." His face shone with gratitude. "I owe you big, Guile."

"Eh, it's not a big deal," Guile said graciously.

**This one's not much for talking either,** Ken mused to himself. The two men sat in silence for a while, contemplating the heavens. "Can I ask you something?" Ken finally ventured.

Guile lay on his back and crossed his arms behind his head. "Sure. Why not?"

"Where'd you learn to get so good at patching people up?" he asked with genuine admiration.

A sliver of an ironic smile appeared momentarily on Guile's lips. "My father was a surgeon, really good at what he did too. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, so I went to medical school. I really wanted to join the Air Force so I enlisted thinking I would be a surgeon in the military. I finished four years of medical school, but I didn't feel like that was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, so I never pursued any further training." He smiled over at Ken, "But it does come in handy sometimes," he admitted.

Returning his smile, Ken was amazed at how amiable he actually was underneath his gruff exterior. "And how," he said appreciatively.

"So when your friend wakes up," Guile asked finally, "will he come to his senses?"

Ken sighed, knowing what he meant. "I really hope he does."

Guile stood up. "Well, now that Bison's dead, I guess we don't have to worry too much about keeping a low profile, until your pal comes to anyway."

"No point in laying low period," Ken amended. "You saved his life. I think that proves that our being here is the smart thing to do." Looking at the three corpses strewn about the grounds, he turned to Guile and requested, "Mind giving me a hand shifting the bodies?"

"Thrilled to," Guile nodded, looking at Bison's body. "What will you do with them?"

Ken took off his jacket and shirt, not wanting to stain them. "We'll stack the bodies a few miles from the dojo and cremate them. I don't want them polluting this place with their presence," he explained as he lifted Vega.

Guile looked at Bison's body and suppressed a shudder. It wasn't so much a body anymore. Actually it was more like a series of parts barely held together by bits of skin and tissue. "Got anything in the way of a machete or hatchet?"

"There should be an axe in that shed over there," Ken pointed out.

Following his direction, Guile opened the door and found a small axe that looked like it hadn't seen use in over a decade. Not knowing what sort of depraved tastes Bison had indulged in his personal life, he pulled on a pair of gloves before beginning his grisly task. After cutting his massive corpse into more manageable pieces, he wrapped the pieces in some cloth sacks he had found and followed Ken to where he had laid the other two bodies.

Ken had stacked Vega and Balrog on a small cliff that protruded from the mountainside to minimize the risk of starting a fire. Adding Bison to the pile, the two began to stack dry wood around them. When there was sufficient timber covering the dead, they lit the wood and watched as the fire reduced the enemies that had been alive only an hour before to ashes.

"I almost don't believe that they're gone," Ken finally said.

Guile nodded. "You should have seen what the two of them did to these guys. It was awful."

"What happened?" Ken had completely forgotten to ask about the details of the events that had transpired.

He stared at the skeletons in the heart of the fire. "Vega went after Ryu," he began, "and he got in one hit before Ryu just went apeshit on his ass and pounded the living crap out of him. I mean, he just kept punching the same spot on his head over and over again. It didn't even seem like Ryu anymore, he _looked_ like a completely different person."

Ken was almost afraid to ask. "And the other one?"

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," he muttered. "The guy was enormous, and to tell you the truth, I'm not even sure he was human. He had these insane red eyes and hair to match. He killed Bison and Balrog like it was as easy as scratching an itch. I've never seen anyone that strong." Ken's worst fears had just been confirmed. "Do you know what that thing is?" Guile asked, looking up from the flames.

He sat in front of the fire and Guile followed suit. "His name is Gouki," he said quietly.

"So, _is_ he human?" Guile queried.

"He was once. I never saw him the way he was before he turned into the demon he is now, but he was the brother of the man who instructed Ryu and myself."

Guile looked puzzled. "But if he was human before, what the hell turned him into the thing he is now?"

"Human beings possess the means to transform their weaknesses and desires into the most destructive forces on earth," Ken pointed out. "With martial arts, it's no different. Our sensei believed that our skills must never be employed for personal gain or the fulfillment of pleasure and he warned us that to give in those urges would ultimately destroy us, that it would rob us of our humanity. It's easy to use the strength and skills you learn from martial arts to further your own interests, but that's the dangerous allure of the _Dark Hadou_. Once a powerful fighter is seduced by it, it's almost impossible to be free of its influence. The demon obliterates whatever humanity the person had. You saw for yourself what it did to Gouki."

Guile took a moment to process what he had just heard. "So is this what's happening to Ryu?"

Ken shook his head, not wanting to believe that this was the case. "I don't know. I hope not. I saw the beginnings of the dark hadou inside him a long time ago, the day our master was killed, but he managed to overcome it and avoid going down that path." He paused. "But it was close. He very nearly gave in, and it was so traumatic for him, watching _sensei_ die. Ryu's been through a lot. I don't even know the half of it because he never talks about it. Now, something – some trigger - is pulling it out of him again."

"What do you think it is?"

Ken sighed again. "The dark hadou can only take hold through some sort of personal weakness. It preys on the thing that one fears the most and transforms it into pure rage. I don't know what it is that Ryu is avoiding, but it had to have had a profound impact to affect him to this extent."

Guile looked back at the flames – they were dying down, the wood spent. "So how do we stop it?" he asked. His voice was resolute.

"We can't," Ken said grimly. "It's something that has to come from within Ryu himself." The fire finally sputtered and died, and the two men stood in the dark, illuminated only by the starlight. "I really hope he can do it," Ken thought aloud. He turned, feeling Guile's hand on his shoulder.

"Go back and get some sleep," he suggested. "I'm sure Eliza will be happy to have you back safe and sound. Here." He handed him the night vision glasses. "Take these."

Ken looked at the goggles. "What about you?"

"I'll stay here until it gets light out," he said. "In case that thing comes back." He smiled ruefully. "Not that I'd be able to do much good against it, but at least Chun Li won't be alone."

"Okay, man," Ken said shaking his hand gratefully. "Be safe."

"You too." And with that the two men headed in opposite directions.

* * *

Entering the dojo, Guile found Chun Li lying alongside Ryu. He knocked softly on the wall so as not to startle her. "How's he doing?" he asked gently.

"He's cold," she said sadly. "And so pale."

"It's because he lost so much blood," Guile told her. "Stay next to him and keep him warm. Hopefully he'll make it through the night."

Chun Li forced herself not to cry. "Okay."

Guile sat in front of the entrance and leaned against the wall. "When it's light out, I'll try to see if I can use any of the equipment in Bison's hideout to contact the nearest Air Force base, see if I still have any pull left to get someone to airlift a few necessities to us." He thought for a moment. "And I'm sure Interpol will be interested to know that the head of Shadowlaw is no longer with us." Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he looked at Chun Li and suggested, "Let's get some sleep, eh?" He suddenly felt exhausted.

"Guile?" Her voice was tentative.

"Mm?"

"I know I always say this to you, but thanks again - for everything."

He smiled without saying anything and lowered his chin to his chest. Within minutes he was asleep. Chun Li turned back to Ryu and lay with her cheek next to his. He had a few days' worth of stubble on his face as a result of having sequestered himself away from civilization. **Please hang on**, she begged silently, **even if you don't want to be with me.**

* * *

The next morning, Guile awoke as soon as the sky began to brighten. Cracking his neck and his back with a groan, he crept over to where Chun Li and Ryu were sleeping and checked Ryu's pulse. It was thready, but still present and his breathing was even. Pulling his open eyelids, he examined the whites of Ryu's eyes and was not surprised to see them looking as clear as a newborn baby's. The linings of his eyelids were pale as well. _That's no good_, he thought. Careful not to wake Chun Li, he left the dojo and began running towards Bison's cave.

Twenty minutes later, he hammered a spike into the rock at the cave's opening. Attached a line to it, he repelled himself into the cave. Unclasping the line from his harness, he sat down in front of one of the computers. Connecting to the internet, he checked the Air Force's database for the nearest station in Japan and dialed the base through the computer. After establishing who he was, he requested to be patched over to the chief medical officer.

"Chief Medical Officer speaking," the voice on the line announced.

"Major Guile," he informed back.

"Good morning, Major. How can we be of assistance?

He looked at the list of supplies he had made and said into his earpiece, "I want you to listen very carefully. I need you to chopper in the following items to the coordinates I'm going to be sending you. Ten IV start kits, four 1 liter bags of normal saline, 5 units O negative packed RBC's, 2 units of plasma, a portable CBC kit …"

When he was finished, he sent the coordinates of the cave and confirmed that they had been received. "Alright, Major. We should be there within the hour," the officer confirmed.

"Good. I'll be waiting."

Grabbing the three laptops that Bison had brought with him, he stuffed them into his backpack and destroyed the remaining equipment before climbing out of the cave.

* * *

The sound of helicopter blades woke Chun Li from her sleep. Running outside, she was overjoyed to see Guile step out of the chopper as it touched down. Followed by two other medical personnel, they ran to where Ryu lay and began inserting large bore IV's into his arms, drawing blood and checking his vital signs. Guile examined the wound and was relieved to see that there were no signs of infection yet. As he changed the dressing, one of the aides whispered something in his ear. "Give him two units of RBC's," he ordered. "And put in a foley. He's been hypovolemic for almost ten hours. I need to know his output."

"Sir!" He saluted and hung the first unit of blood from an IV pole.

"Foley?" Chun Li echoed.

"Foley catheter," Guile explained. "I need to make sure his kidneys are functioning properly, and the only way I can do that is by measuring his urine output."

Chun Li looked in terror at the long rubber tube he removed from a sterile prepackaged kit. "Does it hurt?" she asked timidly.

"Well yeah, if you're awake," he answered with a smile. Chun Li let out a small sigh of relief.

Once they had finished, Guile unloaded a few more supplies from inside the helicopter before giving some last minute instructions to the soldiers. "If his blood cultures show any signs of an infection, I want you to radio me ASAP. Hopefully we won't need you to come back with IV antibiotics."

"Sir!" they saluted again.

"Excellent work, men. Dismissed." He watched as they boarded the chopper and disappeared over the trees. Stepping back inside the dojo, he was pleased to see the color returning to Ryu's face. Chun Li seemed relieved as well.

"He looks so much better," she said thankfully. "Lucky for him you're so important."

He smiled. "Hopefully he wakes up soon."

"Hello?" Eliza's tentative voice drew their attention. She and Ken looked into the room. "How's he doing?"

Ken looked at triage job that Guile had done. The dojo had practically been transformed into a mini emergency room. "My friend, you are the _shit_!" he said with amazement. "I guess we can breathe easy now since you called in the cavalry, huh?"

"Barring any complications, yeah, Ryu should be just fine," Guile said with guarded optimism.

Ken grinned at him. "They didn't happen to send over any _lunch_ boxes with all that gear did they?"

Puzzled for a moment, Guile laughed as he got Ken's joke. "Sorry, my friend. MRE's only."

Pouting, Ken shrugged. "Well Eliza and I are going to go nest in one of the other rooms. Keep up the good work!" he said, giving Guile the thumbs up.

Walking over to Chun Li, he asked her, "So, how do you feel about all this?"

"I'm glad he's okay," she replied.

Guile shook his head. "That wasn't what I meant. I mean how do you feel now that Bison's dead?"

"Oh." She had nearly forgotten about that fact, which was strange considering that it had been the sole reason she got up every morning since her father died. "It's hard for me to believe that he's really gone."

"Yeah, me too. I sent his computers back with the chopper. The American government is going to send them to Interpol. Hopefully there's enough useful information in them to wipe out Shadowlaw for good." He smiled wryly. "And if that's the case, I guess you and I are going to be out of a job."

"It was different than how I thought it would be," she said quietly.

He tilted his head to one side. "What do you mean?"

She tried to put her feelings into words. "I thought I would have this big rush of satisfaction and relief when he died. I thought it would be-"

"Cathartic?" Guile finished.

"Exactly!" She glanced at Ryu. "But it wasn't, was it?" Looking at Guile's expression she knew it was the same for him. "Watching him punish Vega, and the way that monster killed Bison and Balrog – I almost pitied the three of them. I never thought that would be possible because I assumed I hated them so much, but after seeing Ryu and that thing, I don't think I came even close to what they felt."

"It _was_ pretty ugly," Guile agreed, "but on the upside, at least Charlie and your dad can rest in peace now." He suddenly let out a big yawn, which caught him by surprise and made Chun Li giggle. "Well, in the meantime, I think we've all earned ourselves a break." He stretched his arms and checked the gauge on Ryu's IV. "He should be ready for the second unit in about an hour," he noted. Kissing the top of Chun Li's head, he said, "I think I'll grab a nap until then, I'm totally wiped. Hold down the fort while I'm gone and wake me up if his condition changes, okay?" She nodded and he left the dojo, still yawning.

Turning back to Ryu, it made her breathe easier to see that he appeared to be comfortable. Curling up next to him, she closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep when she felt him move. Overcome with joy, she sat up and waited eagerly for him to open his eyes.

When they finally did, he squinted in the bright light of the morning, unable to see for a moment. As his vision gradually adjusted, Chun Li's anxious but hopeful face came into focus.

"Ryu! My god, we were all so worried! Are you okay? How do you feel? Are you in pain?" she asked all at once.

He stared at her for what seemed to be an eternity, which made her feel ill at ease. Finally, he said in an unsure voice, "Please excuse..." His English seemed less fluent than before and he seemed to be struggling to produce the correct words.

Chun Li grabbed his hand and squeezed it ecstatically at hearing him speak. "Excuse you? Oh, what for?"

Ryu looked at her and then down at his hand, which was entwined with hers. Meeting her eyes, he looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked slowly, "Do I know you?"


	13. Chapter 13: Tabla Rasa

For a moment, Chun Li wasn't sure that she had heard him correctly. "Wh-what did you say?"

"What is this place?" he asked, looking around. Ryu looked at the various IV lines coming out of his arms and the dressing on his side. "I am hurt? What are these things in me?"

"Ryu, don't you recognize me?" she asked, becoming more worried by the second.

He shook his head apologetically. "I sorry, I do not know you are. What happened here? Who are you?"

She began to feel tears stinging her eyes. "Stay here," she told him. Running to the spot where Guile was sleeping, she shook him awake. "He's regained consciousness, but he can't remember anything," she blurted.

"What?"

"He can't remember anything," she repeated. "I have to tell Ken." Heading for the room that he and Eliza were staying in, she knocked impatiently on the door. Sliding it open, Ken saw the distraught look on her face and assumed the worst.

"No! He isn't-"

"No, no, he's alive," Chun Li reassured him.

Ken exhaled a huge sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that! What's the matter, then?"

She hid her face with her hands and began to cry. "He's unable to remember anything. He doesn't know who I am, he doesn't know where he is." Eliza put her arms around her shoulders and tried to comfort her.

Needing to see for himself, Ken hurried to the dojo. Stepping inside, he saw that Guile was already talking to Ryu.

"Do you know what your name is?" he asked intently

"Lady say 'Ryu'. Is my _name_ - name?" he corrected himself.

"What is the date?" Guile continued.

"I…do not know." He racked his brain in a futile attempt to remember anything.

"Just tell me the year then," he compromised.

Ryu began to get visibly frustrated. Grabbing his head, he repeated, "_I don't know! I don't know! I don't know_!"

Hearing Ken's footsteps behind, him, Guile turned and said, "It's no use – he really doesn't remember anything. Neurologically he's otherwise intact, but his long-term memory is gone. He seems to be able to make new memories, but either he's lost his memory or just can't retrieve it." They looked at Ryu who was staring at the dojo as if he'd never seen it before.

"_Ryu? Are you okay_?" Hearing Ryu speak in Japanese, he thought maybe it would be easier if he used his native language instead of English.

"_No, I'm not okay_!" he shouted.

Guile watched them speak to each other in Japanese for a while. He couldn't understand a word of what was being said, but Ryu was getting angrier and angrier by the minute. "_Go away_!" he finally yelled at Ken.

"_Sorry_," Ken apologized to him. "Well, I tried explaining a little bit of who we are. He doesn't remember any of it. Not me, not growing up here, not even what happened last night. I think he's pretty scared right now, so it might be best to just leave him alone until he wants to know what's going on."

Guile rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's interesting, his procedural memory is still intact. He remembers how to speak Japanese but not so much English. I wonder…YAH!" Guile charged at Ryu as if about to strike him and Ryu reflexively assumed his usual defensive posture. Guile nodded again. "He can remember things that he learned to do. It's specific memories that he can't access."

Ken watched Ryu as he looked at his hands in confusion. He couldn't understand how he knew to defend himself. "Is it permanent?"

"There's no way to know right now," Guile said in resigned tone. "It doesn't make any sense. He didn't go into hypovolemic shock, there's no evidence of a stroke with the exception of this particular memory problem and we got his pressure back to normal within less than twelve hours. It is possible that this is temporary, but there's nothing we can do but wait and see if this deficit resolves – HEY!" Guile stopped midsentence as Ryu pulled his IV lines out and ran out of the dojo. "We have to stop him!" Guile shouted.

Running after him, Ken followed him until he stopped upon reaching Gouken's grave. Ryu fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Ken stayed back, not wanting to alarm him. "I somehow knew to come here," he said in Japanese. "I don't know who's buried here, or how I knew where to go, but somehow I knew exactly how to get here."

"It's our master's grave," Ken explained, also in Japanese. "He was like a second father to us and it was very hard on the both of us when he was killed."

"So that's why this place feels familiar," Ryu said softly. "I don't know where I am, or what this place is called, but it _feels_ familiar to me."

"That's good," Ken said optimistically. "Maybe that means that your memory is only temporarily impaired."

"I hope you're right." Ryu was quiet for a moment as he looked at Gouken's headstone. "So we are friends?"

It saddened Ken to hear him say that. Even though he knew rationally that it was nothing personal, it hurt him that Ryu couldn't remember any of the times they had shared together. "We're more like brothers than friends," Ken said with a lopsided smile.

Something in his expression must have struck a chord inside Ryu because he returned the smile. "It's strange," he admitted. "I couldn't tell you your name, and if I hadn't seen you, I would not know who you are, but what you say feels right to me." He stood up and dusted his knees. "I'm sorry I was so angry," he said extending his hand.

"Totally understandable," Ken said warmly, taking his hand. "Will you walk back with me? The big blonde guy is the one actually responsible for saving your life and he's going to be really pissed if after all that work he put in you take a turn for the worse."

Ryu nodded and they walked back towards the dojo. "One more thing," he added. "The woman who was there when I awoke."

"Chun Li?"

"Yes." His brow furrowed. "What is my relation to her?"

Ken wasn't sure how to field this question. "What do you feel like it is?"

"I don't know. I feel something, and it's quite strong but I don't know what that feeling is or if it's good or bad."

"It's probably a mix of both, but you might want to ask her your question, since she's the one involved," he advised.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SHIT!! WHAT THE _FUCK_ DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS BACK IN HERE OR I'LL TEAR YOUR CARCASS APART LIMB FROM LIMB!!" Guile's irate voice reverberated through the mountain startling a flock of birds out of the trees.

Ryu cringed slightly. "This feels familiar, too. He is usually this angry?"

Ken couldn't help laughing. "Well, at least you remember that much."

After apologizing profusely, which Guile felt was also in keeping with his old personality, Ryu was a model patient as Guile reinserted his IVs and began to run the second unit of blood. Lowering his eyes so that they were level with Ryu's he growled, "If I catch you even thinking about pulling another stunt like that-"

Ryu put both his hands up in a gesture of compliance. "No, no, I stay. Thank you much for help." He bowed his head a few times.

"I liked the old him better," Guile said with annoyance. "At least that guy spoke decent English." Grabbing a food ration, he threw it to Ryu who caught it deftly in one hand. "Eat this and drink plenty of water," he ordered. "If you don't, I'll be more than happy to stuff it down your throat personally with my fist."

Ryu smiled awkwardly and flashed Guile a thumbs up. Relieved that he was gone, he went back to speaking in Japanese. "What happened to me last night?"

Ken helped him open his MRE. "Do you really want to know?"

A cloud passed over Ryu's face. "No, not yet. Whatever it was, I know it wasn't good. I think I need some time to adjust to everything that has happened." He made a face as he sampled the ration. "This tastes terrible."

"Well, unless you want to have the big man spoon feed you like a baby, I suggest you hold your breath and eat it anyway," Ken advised.

"Good idea," Ryu said as he reluctantly ate. When he had finished, he lay down on the tatami and looked at the ceiling. "I should probably talk to…what was her name?"

"Chun Li."

"Yes."

Ken stood up, "Do you want me to bring her?" Ryu nodded. He found her still sitting with Eliza. "Hey, he wants to talk to you," he told her. Eliza smiled encouragingly at her and Chun Li followed Ken to the dojo. When they entered, Ken told Ryu in Japanese, "I'll leave the two of you alone so that you can have some privacy."

"Wait!" he said. "I can't remember most of my English, and I might not be able to understand her. Will you stay here and translate?"

**Oh, that's awkward,** Ken thought to himself. "Okay, if that's what you want." Turning to Chun Li he explained what Ryu had just said. She looked none too pleased about it, but given the choice between having a chaperone and not speaking to him at all, she opted for the former.

"Okay, then," Ken said as nonchalantly as possible, given the circumstances. "Well, he wants you to explain the, uh, nature of your relationship."

Chun Li blushed a little. "Well, we met in Japan a few weeks ago." Ken dutifully translated after she finished her sentence. "You saved my life when someone tried to kill me and took care of me when I was badly injured." Another string of Japanese words followed. "That's when I fell in love with you." Ryu's eyes widened. "And after some time, you admitted that you fell in love with me as well." Ryu's eyes got even wider. Turning to Ken, he spoke quickly in Japanese and pointed to Chun Li.

Ken cleared his throat. "He, uh, how do I put this? He wants to know, uh, how serious you guys were?"

Blushing again, she said, "We were romantically involved after that."

Another brief exchange followed. Ken scratched the back of his head and looked at the ceiling. "In what _way_ romantically?"

"We were intimate," she said simply. Ken turned to Ryu and the only word in the sentence that she recognized was "sex". "Lost a little something in the translation, eh Ken?" she said dryly. Ken shrugged apologetically. For someone who required a blood transfusion, Ryu's face had turned a very healthy shade of red.

"Okay," Ken said loudly. "I think that's enough for today! Let's pick this up tomorrow then, shall we?" He laughed nervously. Chun Li looked into Ryu's eyes for a long while in silence before standing up and quietly leaving. When she was gone, Ken collapsed on the floor and sighed with relief. "Whew! Am I glad that's over! Talk about awkward!"

"How many women have I slept with?" Ryu asked with a worried expression.

"What makes you think I'd know this?" Ken said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, do you?"

"Yeah," was the sheepish reply.

"So? How many?"

Ken couldn't help himself and he grinned as he said, "You were looking at her."

"Only her?" Ryu looked relieved and pained at the same time. "She was the first woman I was ever with?"

"Yeah, but you'd never know it from the amount of noise that you two made," Ken jibed. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that," he said with regret. Ryu looked mortified at what he'd just heard.

"I don't remember any of this." His voice was concerned.

**Well too bad for you, everyone else staying at that hotel does**, he thought with a smile. He wiped it off his face when he saw Ryu looking at him curiously. "Oh look, your IV's done," he said, grateful for something to change the subject. "I'm going to get the big foreigner to take the needle out. You sit tight." Still smiling a little, Ken went to find Guile.


	14. Chapter 14: Retracing the Steps

Over the next few days, the others spent the majority of the time trying to help Ryu recover his memory. Ken had suggested that they all stay at the dojo, thinking that being in his old home would help Ryu remember faster. His English slowly began to improve, which made everyone optimistic that his memory issue would be short lived. Eliza had been particularly patient with him, and for some reason, Ryu seemed quite comfortable talking with her. Chun Li on the other hand was a wholly different story. To her dismay he avoided her at every opportunity. "Well, that's kind of consistent with the old him," Ken said, trying to be helpful. The unhappy look she gave him revealed that he had been less than successful in his attempt.

Sitting with his shirt off, Ryu allowed Guile to examine his wound. Removing the dressing, Guile nodded with approval at how well the incisions were healing. There was almost no seepage now from the wound and the edges were beginning to seal. Cleaning the area thoroughly, he applied fresh gauze and motioned wordlessly to Ryu that he was done. "He does not like me," Ryu said to Ken as they watched Guile walk away.

"Oh he doesn't like anyone," Ken said blandly. "Except Chun Li, that is." He was intrigued to see that this caught Ryu's attention. He decided to push his buttons a little more. "She's the only one who seems to be able to make that big lug smile and he's always looking out for her."

"Were they involved with each other?" he asked casually, pretending to be occupied with his dressing.

"Why," Ken probed. "Are you…jealous?"

"_Shuddup!_ - of course not!" Ryu hastily denied.

"Well I guess there's no point in answering the question then," Ken said, baiting him further. To his glee, almost as if on cue, Chun Li appeared. "Oh look, there she is." As Ken knew he would, Ryu looked up.

The two of them watched as Chun Li came up to Guile and began to converse with him. They were unable to hear what was being said, but something that Guile said made her giggle uncontrollably and she hugged him with obvious affection. Ryu's face barely betrayed any emotion, but Ken knew his friend well enough and noticed an almost imperceptible twitch in his jaw muscle. "Well, you rest up, buddy," he told him, patting his shoulder. "I'll see you later." Walking to Chun Li, he grabbed her by the elbow and said breezily, "Hey, Guile, I need to steal this for a second. I'll return it to you in a minute."

"What's on your mind, Ken?" Chun Li asked quizzically.

Ken grinned. "Well, Ryu may not remember the details, but the feelings are definitely still there for you."

"How do you know?" Her voice was guarded.

"We-e-e-ell, he seemed pretty interested when you were talking to Guile." Ken brushed his hair out of his eyes. "He asked about the two of you. You know, if you guys were like involved and stuff."

Her brows went up at this. "Really? What did you tell him?"

He chuckled. "Well he denied being jealous so until he learns to say what he really means, I'm going to do the same." Putting his arm around her shoulder fraternally, he said, "Chun, can I tell you something? You know, you're a great gal and a total hottie, but I think you're going about this all wrong."

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" Her voice had a slightly indignant edge to it.

"Hey, relax, sweetheart! It's nothing personal." He put both hands up in a pacifying gesture. "But lemme give you a piece of advice, you know, as a man," he said, indicating himself with a small flourish.

She crossed her arms. "Okay, what?"

"Don't put yourself out there so much," he said pragmatically. "If there's one thing that's true of all guys, it's that we don't like to be chased. Leave him alone and pretend not to be interested. I guarantee you that in no time he'll be looking for any dumb excuse to talk to you." He smiled expectantly and waited for her response.

"I'm not sure that's going to work," she said dubiously after a pause.

Ken answered with a cavalier shrug. "Well, maybe not, but it's something different. And your way of doing things doesn't really seem to be getting any results, if you know what I mean," he pointed out. She had to concede that he was right about that fact. "What have you got to lose? He's not saying a word to you anyways. What's that saying…the butterfly lands in the open hand, or some stupid shit like that."

She smiled and had to laugh at the goofy expression on his face. "Okay, I'll try it your way," she vowed.

"I promise you won't be disappointed," he said with a wink. Looking over her shoulder he saw that Ryu was watching them. Out of the corner of his mouth he told her, "Hey, just for that added special touch, hug me like I just told you that you won the lottery."

"Is he looking?" Her tone was hopeful.

"Oh yeah." His tone was smug.

Laughing again and feeling a tad foolish, she hugged him enthusiastically. "Is it working?" she whispered.

Ken chuckled as Ryu's jaw clenched again. "I would say that the answer is yes."

From that point on, Chun Li took Ken's advice and completely ignored Ryu, paying him no mind whatsoever. At meals, she never looked at him once. When he entered a room, she would leave. She even refrained from saying a single word to him, but talked as usual with Ken, Eliza and Guile. To her surprise and delight, Ken's advice had an obvious and profound affect on Ryu's behavior. She could feel his eyes on her even though she didn't return his gaze, and Ken had to suppress a laugh when he caught him sneaking glances at her to see if he could make eye contact but she staunchly pretended he wasn't there.

After a week of the silent treatment, Ryu found that all he could do was think of the next time he would see Chun Li and wonder if she would acknowledge him at all. It had been driving him crazy to be shut out by her, and what was even worse was to watch her interact with Ken and Guile - especially Guile. He envied them the radiant smile she gave them so easily and longed to see it directed at him. Seeing her easy affection for Guile was also beginning to grate on his nerves. He tried not to look when he sat with his arm around her, her petite frame nestled comfortably against his sturdy one, or the way she was completely relaxed around him. Though he couldn't remember whether or not they had been together in the past, it was obvious to him how Guile felt about her. His face softened whenever she was nearby and it was one of the only times his stony demeanor seemed warm. A peal of laughter snapped him back to attention and his stomach turned when he saw Guile with his head resting in her lap while she rubbed his head with both hands as he grimaced at her in protest.

"I feel almost sorry for the guy," Guile said, monitoring Ryu from out of the corner of his eye.

"Serves him right for being so wishy-washy," Chun Li said in a slightly vindictive tone, massaging his scalp.

Guile wasn't about to complain. He was enjoying rubbing it in the shrimp's face and rather liked having Chun Li all to himself, even if it was in the service of making Ryu jealous. "Hey, up and to the right." He smiled contentedly as she scratched his scalp.

So focused was he on trying to figure out what they were talking about that he didn't notice Ken standing next to him until he cleared his throat loudly. Ken snickered when Ryu jumped at the sound. "Am I interrupting?" he asked, this time in English.

Ryu did his best to appear nonchalant but avoided Ken's eyes. "No, you are not interrupting anything. When he finally stopped pretending to be examining his toes, he noticed that Ken was dressed all in red.

"Here," he said, handing him a white version of his ensemble.

"What is this for?" he asked.

"Just put it on and you'll see," Ken said with a smile. "Twenty bucks says you'll have no problem putting it on." A few minutes later, Ryu emerged wearing his white _karate uniform_ and as Ken had predicted, he somehow knew exactly how to put it on. Ken grinned with approval and added, "There's just one more thing missing." He handed Ryu his red _headband_.

Taking it in his hand, Ryu suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia and images of himself and Ken as boys rushed into his thoughts.

Noticing the distant, preoccupied expression on his face, Ken became concerned. "What is it? You okay, Ryu?"

Ryu looked up at Ken and smiled and Ken was elated to find that the smile was one of recognition. "I remember that you gave this to me," he said with gladness and relief. "You were an aggravation when we first met but you proved yourself to be a good friend."

A wave of emotion passed over Ken and he felt like some of his old friend had returned, watching him tie the _headband_ around his head. "Well, I thought this might help jog your memory." He motioned Ryu over to a more open space. "Just don't think too much and do what comes naturally." Taking a deep breath and centering himself, Ken began to execute the movements of the various katas. Doing his best to take his friend's advice, Ryu tried to allow himself to disconnect himself from his thoughts and move based only on his intuition and experience. To his surprise, he began to follow Ken's movements smoothly, somehow anticipating the next form before it had begun. They finished the series without saying a word. Pleased that he was able to follow along, Ken, clapped him on the back and said, "That was great!" He stepped away a few feet and grinned. "Let's see how much else you remember. TSEEYAAHHHH!" He ran towards Ryu and somersaulted behind his friend's back. Instinctively, Ryu knew to turn the instant Ken hit the ground and blocked the flying kick that he delivered upon standing. "_Shoryuken_!" Ken shouted, again attempting to land a punch.

Dodging his fist, Ryu catapulted himself into the air. Ken smirked and beckoned to him with his index finger. Ryu grinned back, feeling a rush of adrenaline at his taunt. "_Tatsumatsu Sempukyaku_!" The two men continued to spar until Guile's harsh voice broke their concentration.

"YOU LITTLE MAGGOT! IF YOU POP ANY OF MY STITCHES, I'LL FUCKING COME OVER THERE AND UNDO THE REST MYSELF!!" His loud baritone echoed off the mountain face.

"Oh shit," Ken said sheepishly, "I forgot about your stitches. I guess we'll call it a day." He waved apologetically at Guile, who was standing wearing a livid expression, his fists clenched at his sides.

Ryu looked as Chun Li soothingly stroked his arm and coaxed him to sit back down. "Yes, we should," was all he said. It was beginning to get dark out.


	15. Chapter 15: Seeing With New Eyes

Later that evening, Ryu was sitting outside, looking up at the night sky when Ken slunk next to him, a mischievous grin hovering on his lips. "Hey, wanna see something really great?" Obviously he wasn't at all interested in the answer, because without even waiting for a response, he motioned for Ryu to follow him. Approaching another of the little houses on the dojo grounds, Ryu saw a faint light through one of the windows and heard the sound of splashing and female laughter.

"This is the bath house," he said, confused.

"Yeah," Ken grinned, putting a finger to his lips. "Don't make any noise, but check out what's inside."

Slowly creeping to the window, the two peered over the sill to see Eliza and Chun Li soaking themselves. As they had assumed complete privacy, neither woman had a stitch of clothing on and lounged luxuriously in their naked splendor. The warmth from the bathwater had turned their skin an inviting shade of pink. Still chatting, they stood up from the wooden tub and moved over to some benches.

"_Amazing_, huh?" Ken said under his breath.

Ryu felt extremely embarrassed and intrusive, watching them this way but at the same time he couldn't tear his eyes away. Lying on her side, propping herself up on her elbow, Chun Li rested the other arm on her hip and was talking animatedly with Eliza who had her back to the two of them. She had taken down her two ox horn braids and her hair lay freely over her body, forming a curtain over one breast but leaving the other exposed. His eyes roamed over the flat expanse of her belly and the curves of her thighs to the cleft between them and he could feel his heart beating faster and his breathing become more rapid. He found her incredibly beautiful and felt a familiar sensation in his groin.

"What, the fuck is this? High school?" a familiar voice thundered behind them.

Both men jumped at the disapproving sound and the two women inside let out squeals of surprise as they scrambled to cover themselves with towels. Guile grabbed each man by the ear and pulled them both away from the window. "Aren't you two a little old to be acting this way?"

"Ow! It's not like I've never seen it before," Ken protested loudly. "Leggo!"

"Ken Masters!" Eliza shouted in an annoyed tone, holding a towel over her front. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

He shrugged innocently. "Enjoying the view? OW!!" Guile sternly yanked his ear.

With a grunt of disgust, Guile released them and gave a small salute to the girls. "Sorry about that, ladies. You enjoy the rest of your night."

The girls tried valiantly to suppress their mirth. "Serves you both right!" Eliza said, sticking her tongue out at them. Chun Li simply giggled and shut the window, removing them from sight but the sound of their laughter could still be heard from inside.

Ken rubbed his left ear vigorously with a pained look. "What a killjoy," he muttered, glaring at Guile's back. All of a sudden his expression changed to one of amusement as something caught his attention. "_Well, well, well_, what do we have here? Ryu, I take it you enjoyed the show?"

Ryu followed Ken's line of sight down to his crotch where an obvious bulge could be seen in the dim light from the window. "_Shit_!" he hissed, turning around so that Ken was now facing his back.

Laughing, Ken, said, "Hey, it's not a big deal. In fact, I think now that Eliza's all nice and clean, I'm going to go have me some fun." He rubbed his palms together in exaggerated anticipation. "Maybe you should too," he suggested with a smirk. Dusting off his knees, he stretched and said, "Well, I think I'll go wait for her to finish. _See y_a." He winked at Ryu, before walking away.

Still in the bathhouse, Eliza and Chun Li were both sprawled on the floor, holding their sides. "Can you believe them?" Eliza laughed. "Like boys trying to get in to the girl's locker room!"

"Did you see the looks on their faces when Guile had them by the ears?" Chun Li was wiping tears from her eyes.

"How could I not?" she gasped. "I don't know which were bigger, their eyes or their mouths, they were totally hanging open."

"Stop! My stomach hurts!" Chun Li begged, trying to catch her breath.

Slowly their laughter subsided and Eliza gave a small sigh as she finally managed to control her breathing. "So he was watching you."

"Yes," she allowed herself a smile and blushed slightly. "Why can't he just act on his instincts like a normal guy?" she wondered aloud.

Eliza began drying her hair. "Sweetie, if you wanted a normal guy, Ryu was probably the worst possible choice you could ever make."

Chun Li stopped smiling and began to pile her hair on top of her head. "I just wish he'd make this easier, for both of us. Why is it so hard for him to act on his feelings?"

"Well, you have to keep in mind the fact that he's not terribly used to having them. Wandering the world looking for a good fight is a great way of keeping feelings away," she said matter of factly.

Wrapping herself in a towel, Chun slipped on a pair of geta and slid the door to the bathhouse open. "Yeah," she said softly. The steam from the room escaped into the night air.

"What about Guile?"

"What?" Chun Li stopped and turned to look at her. "What about Guile?"

Eliza smiled sympathetically. "Well, I was just wondering if you'd ever considered giving him a chance. I mean, he's absolutely crazy about you. Anyone can see that. And he's a good man too, honest, considerate, loyal. Your feelings seem to be what's most important to him. On top of that, and no offence to Ken," she demurred, "he's really good-looking too. What more could you ask for?"

Sighing, Chun Li replied, "I don't know why I don't. I mean, he's been so wonderful to me but I'm just not sure I could ever feel that way about him and he's too important for me to risk jeopardizing our friendship to take a gamble like that. I've known him for so long and I've never seen him that way, but with Ryu it was completely different. I knew almost immediately that I was attracted to him. Guile has always been more like a brother to me."

"Maybe it's because Guile is way to accessible and Ryu's the polar opposite," Eliza hypothesized.

She thought about that for a moment. "True, they always say you want what you can't have. Maybe Guile has to play hard to get."

"I didn't mean anything by it," Eliza said quietly. "I was just curious, that's all."

"Maybe you're right," Chun Li mused. "He's a wonderful person and I know he'd treat me like a queen all the time. What's wrong with me? Why don't I just go for it? Maybe I _should_ just give it a try."

Eliza put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "There's no hurry, Chun. Just figure out what it is you really want and why."

She smiled back. "Thanks, Eliza. I will. Good night."

"Good night." Walking to the quarters where she and Ken were staying, she slid the door open and stepped into the room when her towel was abruptly snatched off her body. Covering herself with her arms, she glared at Ken who was twirling the towel with a pleased expression on his face. "You idiot! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, spying on us like that. Give me that towel!"

"Aw come on, babe, can you blame me?" Dropping to the floor, he playfully kicked her feet out from underneath her and caught her in his arms. "There's something very sexy about watching you naked when you don't know you're being watched." He nuzzled her neck and she felt her irritation melting away. "And you smell so good, too."

"Don't think that you're getting off the hook so easily," she said, trying to sound as annoyed as possible, which was becoming increasingly difficult as he kept nibbling on her neck.

"Oh of course not," he whispered into her ear, taking it between his teeth, causing her to sigh in spite of herself. "I'll have to find some way to make it up to you," he promised, as he pulled her to him more tightly.

She could feel his arousal against her bare skin as he pressed against her and her resolve disappeared. "I hate you," she hissed as he lowered her onto her back.

"I know," he said smugly, climbing on top of her.

From her room, Chun Li could make out the faint sounds of Ken and Eliza coupling through her open window. Hearing them engaged in lovemaking caused her to feel amused, sad, and aroused all at the same time. Lying back, still only clad in a towel, she slid her fingers between her legs and began to play with herself. With the other hand, she began kneading her breast, tugging on the nipple, imagining it to be Ryu that was doing it. Thinking back to the one night that they had spent together, she could feel herself getting closer and closer when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Hurriedly wiping her hand on the towel, she asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me." Guile's voice came from behind the screen.

Her pulse began to race when she heard the deep sound of his voice. She had been so close before he had knocked and the need to finish was almost unbearable. "Come in," she invited, before she had even realized the words had left her lips.


	16. Chapter 16: Release

Sliding the door open, Guile entered and began to say, "Hey, I – oh! Uh, didn't realize you weren't dressed yet." Guile stepped back out of the door. "I'll come back later."

"No, you don't have to," Chun Li countered as he began to walk away. "Some company would be great." She smiled when she observed that he couldn't help looking at her body and found that she actually liked how appreciative he was of her physically. Underneath the towel, she could feel her nipples hardening again.

Guile looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Are you – are you sure?"

"Mm hm." She patted the space on the floor at her side invitingly. Guile sat down stiffly next to her, apparently making a very conscious effort to ignore the fact that she was practically naked. An awkward silence hung in the air for a few moments and her mind raced as she tried to make up her mind as to what it was that she really wanted. Finally she said, "Guile, I don't know if I've ever thanked you enough for everything you've done for me."

Scoffing dismissively, Guile responded, "Yeah you do, you're always thanking me."

She felt an urgency take hold of her body and looked at his seated figure, aware suddenly of how close he was to her. She could smell his distinctive musk and couldn't wait any longer. "No, I meant I don't know that I've ever…shown you how grateful I am to you."

This caused Guile to raise an eyebrow and when he turned to look at Chun Li, she took his face in her hands and began kissing him, hesitantly at first, then passionately, nipping his lower lip with her teeth. Though Guile was totally caught off guard by her advances, his cock sprang eagerly to attention at her touch and within seconds he was as hard as a pipe. "What are you doing?" he asked in bewilderment, trying to pull her away.

"Don't you want me?" she asked softly. Sliding her palm sinuously down his muscular abdomen, she cupped his erection in her hand, causing his eyes to roll back in their sockets. It shouldn't have surprised her, but she couldn't help but gasp at how big he was, and how hard. "Isn't it obvious what I'm doing?" She began to knead his crotch, drawing short panting breaths from him. "I know how you feel about me, Guile, how you've always felt," she whispered. "And I know you've wanted this."

Guile watched in utter disbelief as she slipped off the towel and pushed him onto his back. He'd seen her undressed before, twice, but never in a sexual light. Both times her life had been in danger and his only thought was for her safety. Seeing her now, kneeling naked over him, he couldn't recall how often he'd fantasized about such a moment. She took one of his large hands and put one of his fingers between her lips and began sucking on it. He watched paralyzed as she then took his hand and ran it over her neck, her breasts and finally between her legs. Guile nearly lost it when he felt how wet she was. She slipped his finger inside of her and clamped down on it, sighing with pleasure and his cock twitched, begging to be set free.

Lying on top of him, she kissed him again, more insistently, parting his lips to allow her tongue room to explore, tasting him hungrily while she rode his cock through his pants. Even through two layers of fabric, he could feel her desire soaking through his clothes and though the rational part of his brain screamed to stop her, the tightly regulated control that he had maintained to hold his feelings in check for so many years dissolved instantly. Overcome with an almost primal need for her, he placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her in to reciprocate her kiss. Abandoning himself to the pleasure he had so long been denied, he gripped her neck and savaged her mouth with his own.

Tearing herself away from his grasp, she pulled down the zipper to his fatigue pants and slowly freed him from his boxers. The monster that greeted her eyes momentarily dumbfounded her, and she licked her lips. Gliding her fingers over the sensitive skin of his head, she teasingly stroked him, enjoying how helpless he was as she toyed with him. His cock was drooling in her hand and she bent down to taste him. Guile watched, still not sure that this was really happening to him as she lapped at his head delicately with her tongue. Locking his gaze, she slackened her jaws and took as much of him as he could into her mouth. When he felt her warm lips close over him, he felt his entire body convulse and threading his fingers through her damp hair, he pushed her head gently down further on his cock. As excited as he was, it didn't take long before he knew he would erupt and Guile dug his fingers into her scalp as he climaxed. He could tell she was confused, as she felt him spasm in inside her mouth but nothing was released. He clenched his teeth as he fucked her face, and when he became too sensitive he pulled her off him.

"What – "

"Little trick I picked up," he said. His voice was thick with pleasure. "C'mere." Grabbing her by the waist, he threw her on her back and began kissing the curves that had tormented him for so many years. He marveled at how soft her skin was and how firm the muscles underneath were. Taking one of her nipples between his teeth, he teased it with his tongue while he rolled the other between his fingers. Grabbing his head, she scratched at his scalp and made small mewling sounds.

Like all things he did, in spite of his size, Guile was deceptively gentle as he lost himself to his rapidly mounting lust and explored her body. Clawing at his shirt, she attempted to remove it, and Guile obliged, pulling off his tank, leaving only his dog tags against his broad chest. Twining her fingers into the chains, she pulled him down towards her. "Please," she whimpered. "Don't make me wait any longer."

Not needing to be asked twice, he was only too happy to deliver. Spreading her legs apart, he inhaled the scent of her heat and his mouth began to water when he saw how slick her cleft was. Kissing the inside of her thighs, he reveled in her moans before finally tasting her. Arching her back, she gripped his head with her thighs as he languidly stroked her with his tongue. Though he'd dreamed of doing this for such a long time, he never could have imagined that she would taste this good and he took his time, enjoying himself thoroughly. After a few minutes he noticed that she began to taste differently and her body began to shake. Sensing that she was ready, he thrust a finger into her as he continued to lick her swollen clit and he suddenly felt her bear down on him as she came all over his face, drenching him. The sight of her lying on her back, eyes glazed, trying desperately to catch her breath only inflamed him further and he hastily removed his fatigue trousers. Lying down naked next to her, he spooned her body and began groping her breasts as he nudged his very stiff member into the small of her back. Reaching her arm behind her, her eyes widened when she felt how hot and hard he was. "Oh my god," she rasped. Her fingers were unable to completely encircle his girth, he was so large and it pulsed welcomingly at her touch.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted you, what you do to me," he murmured into her ear. "The nights I've spent jerking off thinking about you." Leaving her breasts, he slid his fingers between her slick folds. "I'm so fucking hard for you right now." She writhed in his arms as he pleasured her with his hand and she turned her face to him, kissing him desperately. His erection was starting to become painful and unable to wait any longer, rolling onto his back, he positioned her hips over him and eased the head of his cock inside her. It was almost enough to make him come right then, she was so unbelievably tight.

"Guile, it's too big, it - it won't fit," she pleaded, as he pressed her further down his shaft.

It turned him on immensely to hear her say his name as he fucked her. "As wet as you are, yes it will," he promised, breathing heavily. "God, you feel good," he growled. He thrust a few inches further into her and she came instantly, screaming, as his head hit her G spot. He plunged himself deep inside her until the base of his cock rubbed against her lips and he continued to fuck her through her orgasm, drawing it out. At this rate, he knew he wouldn't last much longer.

A few doors down, Ryu heard the scream and jumped to his feet. Assuming one of the women was in trouble, he followed the sound to the room where Chun Li was and felt an odd sense of déjà vu. The door was open a few inches and he peered inside to see what was happening. At first he wasn't sure what he was seeing but he felt a strangely familiar feeling of horror when he saw that Guile had the entire length of his dick up to his balls buried inside Chun Li. Oblivious to his presence, the two continued, and Guile guided her hips with both hands, thrusting relentlessly into her as he gratified himself. Her head was thrown back, her hair trailing down her back as she rode him. Though he was angry and felt utterly betrayed, Ryu was startled to find that watching her like this was actually exciting him.

"Guile, I – I'm going to come again," she said breathlessly.

"Fuck, so am I," he grunted. With a loud groan he came harder than he had ever come before in his life, as almost a decade of long hoarded passion was finally released. Feeling him throb and swell inside her set her off and she screamed again as she came on him, clawing at his chest.

Ryu's own hard on was now extremely painful and unable to watch any longer, he walked back to his room as quickly as his predicament would allow. Closing the door behind him, he couldn't understand why despite the intense anger he was experiencing he felt tears stinging the back of his eyelids.

Still breathing raggedly, Chun Li winced in pain as she slid off Guile as he softened inside her. Collapsing next to him, she curled up against his side and tried to calm her breathing. "Did I hurt you?" she heard his voice above her head, a tone of concern present.

She shook her head without looking up. "No. That was great. You were amazing."

She heard him chuckle and he kissed the top of her head tenderly. "You don't know how many years – I…I'd given up that you could ever return my feelings. I've loved you for so long…" Hearing him say that caused a wave of sadness inside her and she felt hot tears slide down her cheeks onto his chest. Sensing something was amiss, Guile looked down and saw that she was softly crying. "Chun, what is it? You sure you're not in pain? I – ". He stopped abruptly when he realized what it was that made her so sad and felt a crushing disappointment cut through him. _She doesn't love you, you chump_, he thought to himself. _She still loves that other idiot. She was just lonely and you were conveniently there, that's all. She never loved you back_. Choosing to remain silent, he held her close to him until she fell asleep, but found that he was unable to do the same.


	17. Chapter 17: Anger and Regret

The following morning, there was a distinct air of discomfort among the group. Ken and Eliza were puzzled by the stilted manner between the other three. Ryu no longer seemed bothered that Chun Li had been ignoring him. Guile was more reticent and isolative than usual, and Chun Li seemed ill at ease in general around both men. Finishing his breakfast, Ryu excused himself and changed into his _gi_. Ken followed him after Eliza threw him a worried glance and watched as he began to slam his fists into a wooden training dummy. Each blow was harder than the first and his rising fury was all too evident in his face. Screaming, he hurled a Hadouken at the dummy, reducing it to splinters. Unable to remain quiet, Ken ran into the room. "Ryu! What the hell are you doing?"

Ryu was momentarily surprised to see him standing there but recovered quickly. "_Nothing_, I am just practicing."

"Just practicing?" Ken echoed incredulously. "What did that dummy ever do to you?" Trying to lighten the mood, he joked, "All that sexual frustration really takes its toll huh?" His voice trailed off when he saw the murderous expression that crossed Ryu's face. "Uh-oh, what'd I say now?"

"I do not wish to discuss it," Ryu said with finality.

"Oh man, now I really know something's wrong," Ken muttered. "Come on, Ryu, it might make you feel better. We've been friends for a long time now. Maybe I can help. Talk to me."

Ryu examined the pile of wood chips that were a moment earlier completely intact and ground his clenched fists into his eye sockets angrily. "I can't remember if it really happened or if it was a dream. Maybe it was a dream, because I have these strange memories of you dying at the same time as these thoughts, but I saw them…I saw…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Ken felt a small rush of relief. "Yeah you told me about the dream where you killed me," he tried to reassure.

"I…killed you?" Ryu's face lost all color.

"No worries," Ken said lightly, seeing his distraught face. "It _was_ only a dream after all. But something crazy must have happened because while you were still dreaming when I came in the room and caught you trying to strangle her." Ryu's face looked even more terrified. "Oops. Guess I shouldna said that."

"It must have been a dream then, what I thought I had seen before. I have images in my mind of her…being with him." Even hinting at it was painful.

"Who?"

"The large _foreigner_," Ryu said with contempt.

"What, Guile?" Ken grinned at the fact that Ryu was so obviously jealous. "He's totally harmless! She's known him a long time andI don't think she's ever thought of him that way. It explains why you dreamt about it though, and why you were trying to choke her."

His knuckles were turning white from clenching his fists. "If that was a dream before, then last night it became true."

Ken was confused. "What do you mean – ohhhhh." It dawned on him now why there was so much tension between the three of them this morning. Not knowing what to say, he ventured, "Sorry, man. I didn't know."

Ryu took his _headband_ off and threw it angrily on the floor. "How could she do that?" he demanded. "With him?"

"Well, you probably don't remember this, but Chun Li's been through a lot with you," Ken said gently. "It hasn't been easy for her."

Ryu whipped around, his eyes flashing. "So you are on her side, then?"

Ken covered his eyes with one hand in exasperation. "Oh for the love of god, Ryu, I'm not taking her side, I'm just trying to give you an idea of why she did what she did. You haven't been exactly available to her you know, before or after this whole memory problem. It's not as if it's rocket science. She' s only human and she wanted some comfort from someone who cared about her. It's not that hard to understand."

Slumping to the ground, Ryu sat down heavily and hung his head forlornly. "I do not know what to do. I do not remember how she fits in my life. I am so confused about her."

"Well, if it helps, that part hasn't changed," Ken clarified. "She did a mind job on you from the beginning."

Ryu picked his _headband_ off the floor and undid the knot. "Do I love her?"

"You're asking me?"

Ryu looked up at him. "Well, do you think I do?"

Ken paused and said without a trace of humor, "Yeah, I really think you do." Squatting down next to him, he put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you try just letting go and see what happens? What is it that you're so afraid of?"

"I do not know," Ryu said despondently.

"Well, if you didn't love her, you wouldn't have been so upset that she had some sexy time with Guile," Ken said simply as Ryu glowered at the mention of Guile's name and sex in the same sentence. "Just try to be open with her. You did it once before."

"What stopped me from continuing after that?" Ryu asked.

Ken hesitated, not sure if he wanted to remind his friend about his growing problem with the Dark Hadou or that he wanted to bring up the whole strangulation issue again. "I think you just got cold feet is all," he said casually, hoping that would be enough.

Meanwhile, sitting in her room, Chun Li had not recalled feeling so miserable in a long time. For some reason, Ryu was back to ignoring her and now Guile seemed to be avoiding her as well. Unable to sit quietly any longer, she went over to where he was staying and knocked on the wooden beam that framed his door. "Yeah?" the voice called from inside.

"It's me, can I come in?" she asked tentatively

There was a long silence and every second was agonizing for her as she prayed that Guile would open the door. "I don't know if that's such a good idea," the disembodied voice said. He'd never shut her out before and it scared her.

"Please?" She hated the begging tone in her voice.

There was a loud sigh of resignation and he muttered, "Come in."

Walking into the room, she saw that at he was in the process of packing his things. "What are you doing?"

"Packing," he said, stating the obvious.

She felt a growing sense of alarm within her. "Where are you going?"

"Dunno." He threw some things into his bag. "Hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Back to the US, I suppose."

She walked closer to him but he didn't look up from what he was doing. She felt a wall between them that was unfamiliar to her in all the years that she had known him. "Why are you leaving?"

Guile's hand let go of his bag and he slowly met her eyes. "Do you really have to ask me that?" His attempt to mask his feelings was undone by the hurt edge to his voice.

"Guile, I – I don't know what to say." Her mind raced as she came face to face with the very real possibility of losing the only true friend that she really had. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"Ah, I see. The morning after buyer's remorse," Guile said with a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she shot back defensively.

"Oh really? What did you mean?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for her answer.

Chun Li was at a loss for what to say. "Please don't go," was all she could muster. She wanted desperately to hug him, to feel him open himself to her again, but Guile kept his body posture closed and maintained his distance.

"I have feelings too, you know," he pointed out.

"I know you do."

Guile laughed humorlessly. "Do you?"

"I wanted to give us a chance," she tried to explain. "I'd never tried it before because I didn't want to take that gamble in case I was wrong – "

"But now you know you're wrong," he said sardonically.

He wasn't going to make this easy for her. She knew she would never be able to comprehend the true nature of the hurt he was experiencing and she despised herself for being so impulsive the night before. "I didn't say that."

Sighing, he said quietly, "You didn't have to."

"Guile…"

His jaw clenched and he looked again at the floor as he spoke to her. "Do you have any idea what it's been like for me? All these years, being near you, thinking about you, holding back everything I felt. It's been excruciating to know that you didn't feel the same way, and to see you fall for another guy who doesn't even deserve you, who's too stupid to return your feelings, that was the icing on the cake. Watching him hurt you over and over again was almost too much to bear for me, but you cared about him so I said nothing. And last night…" His voice faltered. "Last night, I got to be his stand in because you couldn't be with him."

"That's not what you were," she protested.

"Well that's certainly what it felt like afterwards," he said sadly.

She took a few steps toward him and nearly burst into tears when he backed away from her. She knew that it was only fair, she had wounded him so deeply after he had been so constant all these years. It was only natural for him to be guarded, but it still hurt her to be so distanced from him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to be this way," she said weakly.

Guile looked at the wretched expression on her face and was torn between wanting to protect what was left of his feelings and to comfort her. She looked so fragile and vulnerable, standing there. The instinctive desire to protect her infuriated him. "Why am I not enough for you?" he shouted angrily, throwing his bag across the room. It struck the wall with a loud crash and crumpled to the ground. "What is it that I did so wrong that you'd fall for some dipshit who won't even give you the time of day instead? What does he do for you that I don't - aside from completely ignoring you and hurting you, that is?" He regretted raising his voice when he saw her lower lip tremble. Though he knew it would go badly for him, he walked over to her and took her in his arms. She sobbed with relief, burying her face in his chest as she let her tears overtake her.

When she had calmed down a bit, he tilted her chin up so that he could see her. Her sad face was still so painfully lovely to him, and he couldn't help asking, "Do you think you could ever love me back?" She opened her mouth to answer but he decided that if the answer was no, he'd rather not hear her say it and stopped her from responding. Releasing her, he zipped his bag shut and slung it over his shoulder. "Ryu's pretty much recovered now. He doesn't really need me to be here anymore so I'm going to see if I can hitch a ride back to the States with the Air Force." His tone was all business now. Striding over to the door, he looked at her once more. "Look me up if you're ever Stateside, Princess. I'll see you around." Watching him leave, Chun Li felt more alone than she ever had in her life.

Guile forced himself not to look behind at her when he left. He didn't want to see the look on her face. As he left, he waved a casual goodbye to Ken, who was talking to Ryu. "You leaving us, Guile?" he asked, in a perplexed tone.

He couldn't help but notice the venomous look Ryu gave him and wondered if he somehow knew what had transpired, and if so, how he had found out. "Yeah, I think my work here is done and it's not like Ryu has too many fond memories of me that he has to rediscover. I should get going. You know, lots to do."

Ken extended his hand and smiled ruefully. "I hate to see you go man, you were really starting to grow on me."

Guile couldn't help smiling back at Ken's compliment. Shaking his hand, he said, "Tell Eliza that I said goodbye. Maybe we'll run into each other again in California."

"If not, then at least we will at my wedding," Ken predicted, smiling broadly. "I can count on you being there, right?"

Both Guile and Ryu registered surprise at this statement. "You asked Eliza-_chan_ to marry you?" Ryu said with amazement, temporarily forgetting how pissed he was at Guile.

"No shit? Congrats, man." Guile's face softened. "She's a great girl. I hope you two are very happy together." Looking at Ryu, he merely nodded and purposefully walked off the dojo grounds.


	18. Chapter 18: Reaching Out

Opening his pack, Guile radioed the nearest base and requested transport off the mountainside. After he had relayed the coordinates of his location, he replaced his equipment and sat down to wait for the chopper. Though it had been difficult to leave, it was preferable to being in Chun Li's presence. He berated himself for giving in to his libidinal impulses so quickly, angry that he hadn't been in more control of himself. It had been arduous, but for the last few years the mental barrier he had raised had at least helped him be less acutely aware of his feelings, but now that he knew firsthand what it was like to be with her, those repressed emotions would be impossible to ignore.

Unable to block out the events of the night before, he remembered how it was for him to be able to touch her, to see her look at him in a light that was more than just platonic. She was everything he had imagined her to be and so much more – his dreams paled in comparison to the reality of her. But to glimpse such happiness and to then realize that it would never belong to him - that was what gnawed at him the most. It would have been better to continue in ignorance, having never indulged his fantasy, but instead, now he would be forever tortured with the knowledge of exactly what it was that would never be his. A half hopeful thought flitted through his mind that perhaps if Ryu were stupid enough to rebuff her further that she might finally realize affection for him instead, but it vanished quickly. She had never returned his feelings in the years even before she met him.

The thought of what Ryu so blindly disregarded suddenly enraged him and he slammed his fist angrily into the nearest tree. Pulling back, he saw the bloody crater that his blow had left and examined his raw knuckles. Sighing heavily, he removed his medical kit from his bag and dressed his hand. Twenty minutes later, the rustling of the trees around him signaled the arrival of the chopper. Throwing his bag into the helicopter, Guile hefted himself into the open door.

"Hope you weren't waiting long, Major," a soldier saluted.

"You're a sight for sore eyes, I'll give you that," Guile said with relief.

The man looked at his right hand. "Sir, are you alright? What happened there?"

"Oh nothing," Guile said noncommittally. "How long until we get back to base?"

"Give us about ten minutes, sir," the soldier reported back.

Guile looked at the forest as the chopper ascended and could make out the little clearing where the dojo was situated. Though he was too far away to make out any details, he thought he saw Chun Li's tiny figure in the courtyard and could almost swear that she was looking in his direction. Telling himself that it was probably just a coincidence, he settled in his seat and did his best to put her out of his mind.

Seeing the helicopter rising in the distance, Chun Li whispered, "Goodbye, Guile. I'm so sorry about everything." She watched until the small speck in the sky disappeared from sight.

"Hey, hon, you okay?" Chun Li felt Eliza's hands on her shoulders.

"Guile's gone," she said miserably.

Eliza smiled kindly. "I know, Ken told me that he left." She looked tentatively at Chun Li. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Crestfallen, Chun Li turned away and replied. "Not right now. I think I just need to be alone for a little while. Thanks though."

"Well, I'm here whenever you need me," she informed her. Hugging her warmly, she walked back inside the dojo where Ken was still engaged in a heated conversation with a very irritable Ryu.

"Look, man. I know you're pissed. I would be too, but I think you're being just a _little_ unforgiving about this whole thing," he said with a touch of sarcasm.

"I think she should leave the dojo," was the unsympathetic reply.

Ken let out a frustrated sigh and covered his eyes with his hand. "You're doing it again. You're making impulsive decisions because you're angry."

"Do you really want her to leave?" Eliza asked, entering the conversation. Both men looked up at the sound of her voice.

Ryu had a much harder time being as difficult with Eliza. "Perhaps it would be best if she did not stay. I see no purpose in her being here."

Eliza arched a brow and looked at him searchingly. "And what about the gaps in your memory?" she reminded him. Are you sure that having only myself and Ken here will help you recover all of them? What if you need her in order to get some of it back? After all, this whole situation only started after you met her, so she's central to this in some way. Do you really want to take the risk of getting rid of her?"

Ken could see that she had struck a chord within him because he remained silent without attempting to make further excuses. He hoped she had said enough to make him reconsider his rash plan. "Come on, Ryu. See how you feel in a couple of days when you calm down a little," he reasoned.

Seeing his two friends so earnestly attempting to convince him caused Ryu to have doubts about his hasty demand. "Very well," he said warily. "I will wait and see what happens in the coming days. If you will excuse me." Nodding his leave to them both, he went outside to get a breath of fresh air.

Despite how foul his mood was, it was actually quite a beautiful day and he closed his eyes as a light wind caressed his face, enjoying the sensation. It felt soothing and comforting – something he sorely needed after what he had witnessed the night before. Being unable to remember so much of his past was also wearing on his patience. It had been over two weeks and he had recovered so little. The only thing he seemed to be unable to forget was how intense and confusing his feelings became around Chun Li. Trying desperately to remember what their connection to each other was, he cried out angrily when his mind once again came up blank. Unaware of where he had been walking, again he found himself in the little cemetery plot where Gouken was buried. It was odd how he seemed to find his way there when he was distressed. He brushed some dried leaves off his master's headstone and suddenly felt extremely alone. "_Sensei_, I don't even remember what you look like," he apologized in a forlorn voice, speaking in Japanese. "I feel so lost and I don't know what to do now. I just want my life back the way that it was. Please, help me."

"Yah!"

Startled by the sound, Ryu leapt to his feet and turned around but saw no one there. Hearing the sound again, he followed the voice until he saw Chun Li standing in the outdoor training area. Moving closer, he saw that she was wearing a blue unitard and mandarin collar vest as she practiced her Wu Shu technique. It was strange seeing her this way. He was so used to thinking of her simply as a woman, he temporarily forgot his anger as he observed her, fascinated, as she trained. It was almost as if it was a completely different person that he was watching. The Chun Li he had seen thus far was hesitant, tentative and overall quite meek in his eyes. The woman he saw now was almost the antithesis of that impression. Her movements were confident, self-assured, and deliberate. The blue unitard clung to her body like second skin and as she moved, he could see that she was strong by the way her muscles flexed taut, so unlike how soft and feminine her curves appeared when he saw her bathe. Her expression too was completely changed. There was a fiery air of determination in her eyes as she practiced. He watched and couldn't help admiring how powerful she was as she rent a training dummy to pieces with a whirlwind barrage of high kicks. Shouting, "_Kikouken_!" she flung a blue flame of energy at the already dilapidated dummy, incinerating it on contact. Breathing heavily, she raised her arms and refocused her mind, bringing her hands before her face as she regained control of her breathing.

He was suddenly overcome by the urge to speak with her, his curiosity now piqued. "You are very talented," he said, coming out into the open.

She whirled around and raised her hands instinctively to defend herself. The fierce look on her face softened a bit when she saw that it was Ryu, but she was still guarded. Keeping her hands in front of her, she simply said, "Thank you."

Seeing her like this, looking so formidable, he couldn't help being awed by the change in her. "Where did you train?" he asked.

She lowered her hands but the expression on her face remained unchanged. "In China. The man who trained my father also trained me in Hong Kong."

He wasn't sure why, but hearing her say this made him feel bad. "Have – have we already had this conversation?"

A small smile formed on her face. "No, actually we never talked about my past much," she informed him.

"Why not?" he queried.

"You never asked," she said simply.

Ryu felt embarrassed at that, as if he had been neglectful in the past. "Where is your father? Is he still in Hong Kong?"

"He's dead," she said flatly.

Ryu winced at her answer, wishing he hadn't asked. "Your teacher then, is he still in Hong Kong?"

"No, he's also dead," she replied in a matter of fact tone.

Even though earlier he had been so upset with her, he now felt like he had been overly insensitive during their current conversation and did not want her to be irritated with him. "I am sorry to hear that they are gone. I lost my _sensei_ as well, but it grieves me that I cannot remember how he died." Feeling somewhat vulnerable, he asked, "What happened to your father?" When she sighed aloud, he amended, "Please, I apologize if you told me this already. I ask for your help so that I can remember."

She studied his unsure expression and relented. "He was a police officer in Hong Kong who was involved in an investigation that was attempting to bring down a very powerful criminal syndicate known as Shadowlaw. The leader of the organization didn't like his prying into their affairs and had him killed."

He felt a twinge of sadness for her hearing the story. "How old were you when you lost him?"

"I was a teenager," she answered patiently.

Ryu paused for a moment. "Did I – did I ever talk about my family, with you?"

"I don't think you ever really knew them or what happened to them. The only thing you did tell me was that your teacher and Ken were the only family you'd ever had. I don't think you ever told me what happened to your teacher."

Frowning, Ryu replied, "Ken told me he was killed, and that his death distressed me greatly, but I cannot remember what happened. I feel as if I dishonor his memory by not being able to remember his death."

"I doubt that you have any control over that," she conjectured. "I don't think you're dishonoring his memory. In fact, even though you don't remember the details, it's obvious how much he meant to you."

"What do you mean?" he asked, curious.

She smiled again and he was strangely warmed by it. "Maybe it's because I loved my father and _sifu_ the same way and I see it in reflected in you. I see how you are when you go to his grave. I think I feel the same combination of fondness, sadness and respect that's in your eyes."

Ryu was beginning to think that Eliza was right about Chun Li's possible role in helping him retrieve his past and though he couldn't explain why, he found himself at that moment unable to be angry with her for her tryst with Guile and began to understand how it was that he had been able to fall in love with her once before. It now made sense to him that the way she was in the past few weeks was the result of both concern for him as well as the fear that his feelings for her had changed irrevocably. Today, he witnessed a completely different side of her, one that felt more natural to him and he was charmed by her strength, warmth and generosity of character and he discovered that he wished to learn more about her. Feeling suddenly shy, he looked at the ground and asked quietly, "Could I impose upon you to speak with me more. It would be of great help to me." A brief wave of anxiety set in as he waited for her response but to his relief, she nodded. "Please, follow me," he gestured politely.

"Where are we going?"

He smiled. "You will see."


	19. Chapter 19: Lover's Quarrel

Leading her behind the main practice hall of the dojo, he helped her up a hill that naturally abutted the back of the building and extending his hand, he felt his heart skip a beat when she took it and he carefully walked her onto the roof. From that vantage point, she could see the ocean sparkling in the distance beyond the forest fringe. "It's beautiful," she said with wonder, sitting down on the roof tiles. "You remembered this place?"

Ryu shook his head. "_It's strange_. I just knew to come here. I am not sure, but I think Ken and I used to come here. What I do know is that it feels comfortable for me to be here."

"I can see why." An azure sky rested atop a glittering jewel of a sea and from where they sat, the vast open expanse had a very calming effect.

The wind playfully waved the golden ribbons that held her braids in place and he noticed that she wore leather gauntlets with small round studs. A faraway expression on her face, he allowed himself to study her features more closely. Her eyes were almond shaped and framed with long black lashes. He didn't remember how old she was but he could guess that it was older than she appeared. Her complexion was perfect, with a slight flush to her cheeks from her earlier exertions and he noticed three almost invisible lines of discoloration on her right cheek. As if sensing his studious gaze, she turned to face him and he felt himself start backwards a bit.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I, uh," he stammered, looking for something to say. "What happened to your cheek?"

She touched her face. "I didn't think anyone could see it anymore."

"What happened to you?"

She looked off into the distance. "One of the men who worked for the man who killed my father tried to dispose of me when I became involved in the investigation." She added, "I work for Interpol, in case you don't remember. One night I was home alone and it turned out he was hiding in my apartment. He must have snuck in while I was in the shower because I didn't hear anything but then he attacked me when I came out to get dressed." She noticed that Ryu looked pensive. "What is it?"

"This sounds familiar. Have you told me this story before?"

"No, but an almost identical incident happened to me when I first met you. It was the same man. His name was Vega. He's dead now though." She decided not to mention that it was Ryu that killed him. Maybe that's why you thought you'd heard it before," she said encouragingly.

"What happened then?"

She smiled again and with a tone of self-satisfaction, she finished, "I kicked him out of my loft in Manhattan."

"You kicked him out of a window?" Ryu asked incredulously.

She chuckled at that. "Well not a window. Actually I kicked him through the wall." Chun Li laughed outright when she saw the surprised look on Ryu's face. "Oh, he put me in the ICU for almost two weeks but I made sure he paid for it. The amazing thing was somehow he survived the fourteen-story fall and he tried to kill me again. But, thanks to you, I'm still alive."

After taking a moment to process what she had said, he told her, "I apologize if you are repeating yourself."

She waved her hand dismissively. "It's okay. Ask away if it helps you."

The more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know. "How long have you studied Kung Fu?"

"Since I was a child. My father taught me initially and after he disappeared his _sifu_ took me under his wing. He was like a second father to me." Her face became sad as she thought about Gen. Suddenly she missed his kind, wrinkled face.

"What was he like?"

Thoughts of their last meeting brought tears to her eyes. "He was a good man, very kind. I never thought of him as being old, but I guess he was and I didn't realize he was actually quite sick. Maybe I didn't want to believe it, but he told me about it right before he died."

"And what happened to your father?" he asked.

Wiping her eyes with one hand, she said, "He got a call one night from someone claiming to be an informant. This person asked to meet at a construction site because he said he was putting his life in danger by meeting my father and insisted that he would only come if my father met him at the top of a skyscraper that was under construction. Looking back on it now, it was obviously a trap, but my father went hoping to get information and they found him the next morning. Someone had pushed him off the scaffold. The coroners told me that fortunately he must have died instantly from the impact."

"You must miss them both a great deal." His voice was sad, yet sympathetic.

She let out a slow breath. "I don't know that I've ever fully been able to grieve for either of them. I usually try not to think about it."

It saddened him to see her look so forlorn and he felt bad for having made her relive the memories. "Do you have any other family?"

She shook her head. "I have a cousin in Hong Kong who's a pretty big action star but I don't really see him all that often. He also trained with me when I was growing up. My dad was his _sifu_. Before he became famous he was like an older brother to me, but when he became a celebrity, I didn't see him much after that. He was always shooting a film somewhere. The last time I saw him was at my father's funeral. I think his death was just as hard on him as it was for me. He was like a father to him, too. Fei Long's a good man, though and a great fighter. He always wanted my dad to be proud of him." Her last statement had a touch of pride in it.

Listening to Chun Li talk of her past and family, he felt a strange kinship with her. She seemed to have experienced much of the same type of loss that he had, and he admired the person she had become in spite of her misfortune. "Is there anyone else that you are close to?" Suddenly he remembered Guile and wished he could take back the question.

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Do you really want to talk about this?"

Ryu felt relieved to have the option of avoiding the subject. "Perhaps later." She nodded in agreement. They sat together in silence for a while, and Ryu searched for something else to talk about. "Did we ever meet in a fight?" he asked.

"No, we never fought in tournaments. In fact we never even spoke until I came to Japan."

"What is your record?"

Her voice had a triumphant tone. "Undefeated in the female divisions."

He nodded, impressed. "Do you know mine?"

"The same," she said. "Just not in the women's division," she deadpanned.

This made him laugh. Given how rotten he had felt earlier in the day, he never would have guessed that he would be enjoying himself this much. Despite making up his mind to be angry with her, he couldn't help but enjoy her company. "Are you not curious to see how it would be to spar?"

"You and I?"

"_Hai_. I am a bit surprised that we have not done that yet."

Chun Li looked as if she doubted this was a good idea. "You've been recovering from an injury. I don't know if it's a smart thing to do right now."

"I am much better now though," he reassured her, eager to test her skills.

She raised her brow. "You have a lot of stitches in your side. They might break. Guile would be pretty upset if that happened."

A cloud gathered over Ryu's eyes as he was once again reminded of Guile. "He is gone, and the cuts were not that deep in any case." It felt good to be a little defiant and he liked the fact that he was able to say to her that he had left.

"I don't know," she demurred. "Guile went to a lot of trouble to get you well."

Ryu was beginning to get annoyed, at how he was being treated like an invalid child and the fact that Chun Li was still supporting Guile. "You are worried that he will not approve? I think that now especially he would let you do whatever you pleased." He couldn't believe what he had just said.

Her eyes flashing with anger, she said acridly, "And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Mortified, Ryu scrambled desperately for a way to get himself out of the big mess he had just made. "I – I did not mean anything by that."

Her eyes narrowed to slits and she clenched her fists. "Liar," she hissed.

Ryu actually found himself backing away from her. "No, really. I –". His sentence was brought to an abrupt end when Chun Li charged him and he reacted with barely enough time to avoid a roundhouse to the face. "_Hey_!" he shouted in protest.

Landing, she resumed a fighting stance. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? YAH!!!" She began to deliver a series of kicks in rapid succession and Ryu could see how it was that this Vega took a swan dive out of her apartment. The only thing that still amazed him was how he could still be alive after such an accident. Distracted for a split second, Chun Li saw the opportunity and knocked him backwards with an uppercut. Falling over, he rolled off the roof and landed on the ground next to the dojo.

"_Ow_!" he muttered after the impact. "_Shit_!" Rolliing to the side just in time, he saw Chun Li slam her fist into the ground where he had just been.

"Are you enjoying this, Ryu?" she said provocatively with a very fake smile. "Is it as much fun as you thought it would be?" Before he could reply, she did a series of back flips towards him and knocked him off his feet. Vaulting on top of him, she began punching him repeatedly and it was all Ryu could do to block them but his forearms were quickly becoming sore from the metal studs of her gauntlets.

"Stop it!" he shouted, beginning to get angry himself. When she continued to beat him, he threw her off himself and she landed lightly on both feet.

"You really need to think about what it is you want, Ryu. It seems you're never happy with what you get," she said sarcastically. "So contrary all the time. Next time why don't you think things over a bit more before you speak. I thought the Japanese were always so careful about that. Oh, and you probably don't remember this one. I call it the 'spinning bird kick'." Crouching down low to the ground, she launched herself into the air and began kicking him repeatedly while turning herself on the palms of her hands. She got in about six or seven before he grabbed her leg and threw her off to the side.

"_Why you little_," he growled.

"Oh, are you getting mad, Ryu?" she taunted. "Are you finally showing some emotion? Being honest about what you feel for a change, how refreshing. I think I like this little game. _Kikouken_!"

Ryu again narrowly missed being hit. Planting his feet firmly into the ground, he waited for her to charge and when she did, he grabbed her and threw her into the air. Again, she regained her footing with ease and gestured for him to come for her. The anger he felt earlier from thinking of Guile returned and he found that he was both wanting to punish her for what she did and simultaneously quite exhilarated by her aggression. "_Tseya_!" Running towards her, he kicked her feet out from under her and she fell on her backside. Grinning, he held up two fingers in a victory sign, mocking her.

Snarling, she righted herself and elbowed him in the stomach, knocking him backwards, and as he stumbled, he tripped over the roots of one of the nearby trees and fell. Chun Li lost no time in taking advantage of his mishap and began to pummel his sides with her fists. "So Ryu," she said acidly between blows. "Was there something you wanted to talk about? Does it involve Guile? Does it involve me? Is there something you want to say?" Her punches were gaining momentum and his sides were actually beginning to hurt. "Why can't you just say what's on your mind? Why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

"_Shut up_!" he shouted, as he flung her off him. This time she crashed on her side and was momentarily stunned but recovered quickly enough to step just outside Ryu's reach. Glaring at each other, their fists raised, both of them were now breathing heavily from the exertion.

Tackling her, he tried to pin her down but she fought him vigorously. "Come on, Ryu," she continued relentlessly. "What is it that has you so mad?"

He managed to pin her wrists to the ground and immobilized her. "How could you sleep with him?" The words spilled out without his even being aware that he had said it.

Her face registered momentary shock but returned to its former icy expression. "So you know. Does it bother you?"

He felt the blood rising in his face, he was getting so angry. "Of course it bothers me! How could you do that?"

"Oh, you mean how could I after you hurt me over and over again and then just completely avoided me?" she shot back viciously. "To think, why would I want to sleep with someone who actually cares about my feelings and pays attention to me. Fancy that!" Her words were scathing.

Taken aback by her statement, he didn't realize that he had loosened his grip on her arms and breaking free, she began to punch him again. "WHY – CAN'T – YOU – JUST – BE – UP – FRONT – WITH – ME?!" she screamed between each slug. "If you don't want me, just say so, but don't play with my feelings! **I don't enjoy being fucked with**!" She ended her tirade with a hard kick to his abdomen.

Grabbing her by the waist he threw her on her back and once again pinned her arms above her head with one free hand. Looking down into her glaring eyes as she angrily struggled to free herself, he was stunned to discover that he was quite hard all of a sudden. Still restraining her, he kissed her and felt her initially resist but after a moment's hesitation she opened herself to him and returned his kiss with ardor. Slipping his hand under her vest he cupped her breast and she arched her back in response, grinding her hips into his. Feeling her rub against him, he bit into her neck as she pressed against him. Unable to wait, he ran his hand down her side and back, looking for a zipper but found none. The fabric between her legs darkened from the combination of her arousal and pressing against Ryu's erection. Digging his nails into her crotch, he tore the fabric open and buried his tongue in the wet opening. She pulled on his hair and thrust her hips onto his mouth and he felt that he would come just from licking her. Pulling his cock free, he slid himself deep inside her and began to fuck her as hard as he could. "Do you know how it made me feel to know you slept with him?" he growled. "Do you know how it felt to watch the two of you?" Her eyes went wide and he could feel the beginnings of her orgasm around his shaft. "I watched you ride him and I hated you for it, and I hated you more because it excited me." She came hard suddenly and he could feel her contracting for what seemed to be minutes when he cried out as he emptied himself inside her. Grabbing her hips, he pounded her until he was completely spent, which made her come twice more in the process. He collapsed on top of her as they attempted to catch their breath.


	20. Chapter 20: Catharsis

Pulling out of her, Ryu observed the damage he had done to Chun Li's clothes and coughed awkwardly. There was no possible way that she could cover the gaping hole between her legs, and even if she could, the fabric was soaked with both their fluids. Feeling embarrassed, Ryu took untied his obi and took off his top. "_Sorry_," he said, covering her waist.

Chun Li turned on her side and faced away from him. "So what now?" Her tone was distant.

Reaching over, Ryu placed one of his hands on her shoulder and felt her recoil at his touch. "I do not know."

"Fine." She continued to show him only her back. "Business as usual, eh Ryu? You know, I'm getting pretty good at Japanese now. If I hear _I don't know_ one more time, I'll slap somebody." She let out a frustrated sigh and propped herself up on one elbow.

He was silent for a moment. "Why did you do it?" he asked softly.

"Why did I do what?"

Ryu clenched his fist. "You know what I speak of."

At this, she sat up and gave him an equally irritated look. "Do I? Why don't you just say it, Ryu? We're both adults aren't we? Why don't we just talk plainly for once? Better yet, I'll make it easier for you. If you ask what you really want to know, you'll get an answer. If you tiptoe around it, you get nothing. It's up to you."

He felt as if he would choke on the words. "Why did you sleep with him?"

"Why not?" She shrugged her shoulders. "What's it to you?" she challenged.

"_Idiot_! You know why!" Ryu shouted.

She shook her head again and waved a finger back and forth. "You're not listening to the rules, Ryu," she said with exaggerated sternness. "Say what you really mean or I'll give answers as annoyingly vague as your questions. Actually, why don't we try something different? Why don't _you_ tell me why it bothers you?"

Unaccustomed to this kind of frank confrontation, Ryu felt like he was being backed into a corner. "You know why," he muttered again.

"Uh-uh," she shook her head. "I don't. Answer my question and you get one for yours." Crossing her arms in front of her, she looked at him expectantly.

Feeling exhausted all of a sudden, Ryu admitted, "It made me…jealous."

Chun Li felt the anger swelling inside her again. "Who's the idiot now? What did you have to be jealous for?!" Her voice was rising with each sentence. "You could have had me at any time, but instead you chose to ignore me, to push me away! Why?! Why, goddamn you, why?!"

He looked into her eyes and asked, "Why did you sleep with him?"

"I was hoping that if I could have feelings for him, it would help me forget about you," she said unapologetically. "At least he openly cares about me and my feelings."

Though her answer wounded him, he couldn't help but understand her motivation. That made him feel even worse and all his rage melted away. "I deserve that." She looked up in surprise, unable to believe she had heard what he had said. "I don't know why I am this way, but I do not wish to drive you away." He took one of her hands and implored, "Please, help me to understand why I am so afraid of how I feel about you. I do not want to lose you."

Chun Li stubbornly kept up her guard and was determined to remain unsympathetic, but she was shocked to see that Ryu actually had tears in his eyes. "Fine," she relented, "on one condition," she cautioned upon seeing his relief.

"Anything," Ryu promised.

She looked at him with dead seriousness. "You can't lie to me from now on about what you think and feel. No matter how embarrassing or awkward the truth may be to you, I want your word that you won't be dishonest with me anymore, or that you'll just walk out on me without telling me to my face why."

He took a moment to consider what she had said. "I will try."

She looked at his face and thought she saw a flash of fear in his eyes. "Good. At least you didn't promise something you couldn't give." Standing up, she put on his top and tied his belt around her waist. "Well, shall we go inside? I believe I need a change of clothing." Now adequately covered, she motioned for him to follow her, which he dutifully did. Stepping into her room, she undid her vest and peeled off the ruined unitard. She looked unconcerned and unabashed, nude in front of him and after cleaning herself with a towel, she pulled a light summer dress over her head. Looking at him from the corner of her eye, he looked like a contrite child who knew he had disappointed someone important to him and she felt pity for him, in spite of herself. Feeling drained, she slid her cuffs from her wrists and walked over to the _tatami_ and lay down. Ryu's eyes never left her and he stood nervously rooted to the spot. "Would you like to sit with me?" she offered. Mutely, he nodded and she gestured for him to come to her.

Walking over to where she sat, she handed him his top and obi back and he put it on without saying a word. Sitting cross-legged facing her, he found it strange how they had just been so intimate but now were so distant. Chun Li simply returned his gaze calmly and waited for him to speak. "Why do you care about me?" he blurted.

She raised a brow at this. "What do you mean?"

"It makes no sense," he explained. "I have caused you so much inconvenience. Even when my memory was not impaired, I have been told I still treated you this way." He stopped talking for a moment to observer her reaction. "How could you ever feel anything for someone who gives you so much aggravation?" He was completely taken aback to hear her laugh.

"You're not _all_ bad, Ryu," she said, still smiling. "You saved my life, even if you don't remember it, and during the first few days after that, I was barely able to do anything and you took wonderful care of me. She then set about describing what he had done for her after her attack and it actually made him feel good to see how she had valued his efforts on her behalf.

Looking down, he suddenly felt ashamed and mumbled, "Thank you."

Puzzled, she asked "What for?"

"For answering my questions – and for being patient with me," he replied.

She shifted her legs and lay down, yawning a little, which he thought was very cute in light of how angry she had been earlier. "So, what else would you like to know?" she asked sleepily. The _tatami_ felt very comfortable to her all of a sudden and her eyelids felt heavy.

Ryu could see that she was actually quite tired and decided to give her a respite from his questions. "That is all I can think of for now." Deciding that he should let her rest, he added, "You look like you would like to sleep. I will not impose upon you any further today." He began to stand up.

She tucked her knees closer to her body and yawned again. "You can stay if you want, Ryu. You don't have to leave, but if you want to, you can."

Very much wanting to stay, he nodded and lay down next to her. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep. Lying next to her like this felt very right to him and he felt calmer than he had in days. Brushing away some of her hair, he gently traced the faint scars on her right cheek when he heard footsteps behind him.

"_Please excuse my intrusion_," Ken said softly, padding over to where they lay. Sitting down noiselessly next to Ryu's reclined figure, he quietly asked, "Everything _okay_?"

Ryu looked at Chun Li and smiled at his friend. "Not everything, but things are better than they were."

Ken gave a big smile of relief. "Well thank goodness for that."

"_Thank you_, Ken."

"For what?"

"For talking me out of asking her to leave," Ryu answered.

Ken shrugged with mock seriousness and said, "Well, I mean, being the more responsible of the two of us, I had to be the voice of reason." He sighed with mock resignation, "It's my burden in life, I suppose."

Smiling, Ryu gave him a playful shove. Becoming serious again, he asked, "Ken, do you know what happened to my family?"

He shook his heady regretfully. "You'd already been here for like five or six years when I first met you. As far as I know, Gouken-_sensei_ never told you what happened to them. He certainly never told me."

"So it seems that I will never know," Ryu said, frowning. "How did Gouken-_sensei_ die?"

Hearing the question, Ken's face darkened with anger. "Gouki killed him. Do you remember him at all?"

"No."

"He was _sensei's_ brother and he killed him when we were in our twenties. Both of us were with him when he died." He made a mental note to leave the part about the _Dark Hadou_ out of his story.

"Why did he kill his own brother?"

"He's an animal," Ken said disgustedly. "It gives him pleasure to kill and apparently it didn't exclude family."

"Why didn't we stop him?"

Sighing, Ken replied, "Gouki was really strong. I mean, he killed our _sensei_. You'd have to be pretty damn strong to do that. We just weren't ready for him yet."

"_I see_," was all he said.

"Give it time, Ryu," Ken said, patting him on the shoulder. "It'll come back to you." Standing up, he smiled and offered, "I'll bring some lunch over for both of you in case she wakes up." Giving Ryu the thumbs up, he left, relieved that he could tell Eliza that things were okay for the moment. Setting a small wooden table with food, he walked back to Chun Li's room and peeked inside to find that Ryu had fallen asleep as well, his arm around her shoulders. Smiling, Ken covered the table with a small cloth and left it just outside the door.

Outside, Eliza was picking some flowers and Ken watched covertly her for a few minutes before hugging her from behind. "Hey," she smiled, "what was that for?"

Rubbing his cheek against hers, he said, "Have I told you how lucky I am to have you?"

Perplexed by his statement, Eliza laughed and said, "Well, not today. What brought this on?"

Ken took one of the flowers she had picked and tucked it behind her ear. "Nothing," he said aimlessly. "Just wanted you to know." Holding his elbow out he asked, "Care to go for a walk, pretty lady?"

"It would be my pleasure," she giggled, taking his arm.


	21. Chapter 21: Emergency

Both Ken and Eliza were relieved to see that Chun Li and Ryu were once again becoming more comfortable around one another. Ryu spent almost every minute of the day at Chun Li's side and Eliza and Ken both agreed that they couldn't recall ever seeing him happier. The pair even trained together, which Ken thought was great, given that Ryu was prone to worrying about not practicing. It was also becoming evident that Ryu was allowing himself to enjoy being with her without worrying about it too much. The lapse in his memory was probably helpful in that regard.

Though Chun Li was overjoyed that he seemed to be relaxing around her, she maintained a vigilant guard against being too comfortable, not wanting to be hurt if he were to become anxious again. Still, she had to admit, the last two days were actually quite pleasant. Instead of asking about their past or his own, Ryu surprised her by being more curious about her. "I want to know more about you," he had told her one morning when they had woken up together.

"What did you want to know?" she asked, taken aback by his sudden interest.

"Everything," he said simply, kissing her shoulder.

She took it as a sign of progress that he was curious about her, rather than constantly questioning what he was doing. "I don't know how to summarize who I am," she said smiling, "but the best way to learn is to just spend time with me."

"_Hai_," he agreed as he hugged her.

It was particularly beautiful day, and the two men decided that it would be nice to practice against each other and they spent a few hours indulging their playful rivalry as their respective ladies watched. Ken was having a particularly good round when suddenly he heard Chun Li call out anxiously to him. Looking in her direction, he saw that Eliza had fallen to the ground and was holding her right side, her face twisted in pain. Running to her, he dropped to his knees. "Babe, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Oh my god, it hurts," she said through her teeth.

"Did it happen all of a sudden?" He suddenly wished they weren't so far removed from civilization.

"No," she winced. My stomach hurt most of last night and this morning but I thought it was indigestion. Now it really hurts and it's worse when I move." Grimacing, she covered her hand with her mouth. "I think I'm going to puke," she said unhappily, but the thought of retching made her side hurt even more. "Ken, it hurts so much! It feels like something's cutting into my side." Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

Turning to his friend with a panicked expression, he asked, "Ryu, what are we going to do? I'm not a doctor! Where's Guile when you need – Guile!" At that moment he remembered that Guile had left a radio behind from when he retuned with the chopper. "Watch her for a moment," he shouted, sprinting to the room where Guile had been staying. Sure enough, the radio sat in the corner where Guile had left it. Switching it on, Ken prayed that it was less complicated to work than it looked. "Uh, anyone out there?" There was a crackle of static and nothing else. Starting to feel frantic, he yelled again, "Hey if anyone is hearing this, pick up, we have an emergency!"

Again static ensued but this time it was followed by a voice. "Who _is_ this?"

"Oh thank god!" Ken said with relief. "My name's Ken Masters. I'm a - a friend of Major Guile's. He just left us two days ago. Is he still on the base?"

"I can check," the voice said. "What seems to be the problem?"

"We have someone who's very sick and needs medical attention," he explained urgently. "Please, Guile knows how to get to where we are. If he's there, please send someone to come get her. I think she may be dying and she's in a lot of pain."

"Stay there and wait while I see if I can track down the Major," the voice crackled.

"Please, hurry!" Ken begged. Pacing the room anxiously, he felt every second crawl by as he waited for a response. "Please be there, Guile," he whispered under his breath.

"Hello?" came the voice over the radio.

"Yes! I'm here!" Ken confirmed.

"I have the Major here for you. Stand by." His voice became distant as he said, "Go ahead, sir."

"Ken, what's going on?"

Nothing had ever sounded so sweet to him in his life as Guile's gravelly voice. "Thank god! Guile, we need your help. Eliza's in trouble. I have no idea what it is, but she's in a lot of pain and – "

His sentence was interrupted when Chun Li ran into the room. "Ken! Her pain is a lot worse now and I think she's running a fever!"

"You get that, Guile?" he called into the receiver. Realizing that Guile was on the other end of the conversation, Chun Li suddenly felt uneasy and took a step backwards.

There was a significant pause on the other end of the line before he responded, "Yeah, I got that." His voice was flat.

"Guile, you gotta help her," Ken pleaded. "Please, pull another rabbit out of your hat, whatever you can do, but please get someone up here to help her!"

His voice was calm but resolute. "Don't worry. We'll get her out of there and she's going to be just fine. You have my word on that."

His reassurance took a little of the edge off of Ken's anxiety. "Thanks, man. I owe you."

"Keep her as comfortable as possible and we'll send someone as soon as we can," he ordered. "Guile out."

Turning off the radio, Ken took a moment to try to slow his racing heart and went to wait for assistance.


	22. Chapter 22: Change in Plans

Racing back to Eliza's side, Ken was disheartened to see that she had turned a deathly shade of white and a cold sweat had broken out on her face. Taking her hand, he tried not to move her and promised, "Hang on, Eliza. The cavalry's coming for you."

"Ken, I'm scared," she whispered.

"Don't be, baby," Ken said with more confidence than he actually felt. "If anyone can sort this out, it's the big guy." She simply nodded. Five minutes later, the welcome sound of helicopter blades could be heard near the dojo. Setting down about a hundred yards from where Eliza lay, Ken exhaled a long breath of relief when he saw Guile's large frame emerge from the chopper. Ryu and Chun Li on the other hand looked ill at ease. Running to greet him, Ken shouted, "Boy am I glad to see you! We're naming our firstborn after you, man."

Guile ordered two men to ready a stretcher and knelt next to Eliza. Ryu noticed that he gave a quick look to Chun Li before getting down to business. "Hey, Eliza," he said soothingly.

"Guile, I'm so glad you're here."

"Eliza," he explained gently, "I'm going to need to examine you in order to find out what's wrong and I won't lie - it's going to hurt, but I need you to bear with me. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?" She nodded, looking frightened. "Good girl. Alright, I'm going to start." Lifting up her shirt, he pressed down with the tips of his fingers on her belly eliciting a barely stifled scream of pain. "Does it hurt more when I press down, or when I let go?" he asked.

"When – when you let go!" she said shakily.

Guile frowned. "Did it hurt like this from the beginning?"

"No," she said, trying not to move. "It was more like a dull pain all over my belly, like a stomach ache, but then all of a sudden it became really sharp and hurt mostly on my right side. The pain made me want to throw up. Now I can't move because every time I shift even a little, I feel like I'm being ripped apart inside."

Going through a mental checklist in his mind, Guile clarified, "So you're nauseous, you're running a temperature, and it hurts when you move even a little?" She nodded in reply. "Okay, Eliza. This is what we're going to do. You're going to be fine, but I'm going to have to start you on IV fluids and we'll also get some pain medication into you so you're not so uncomfortable. You're going to be taken to the hospital on base and the doctors there are going to sort this problem out. I just need you to hang on a little longer, alright?" Motioning for the men to place her on the stretcher, he pulled Ken aside. "If I'm right, I think she has a perforated appendix."

"What does that mean in English?" Ken asked, worry written all over his face.

"This probably started as appendicitis, but this particular symptomatology usually only happens when the infected appendix ruptures. It must have burst inside of her. She's probably feverish because of the infection and we're going to need to get her into surgery right away to fix the problem. Her presentation is pretty classic."

"Will she be okay?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Oh yeah. Lucky for you she's got you around to call for help." Becoming serious again, he added, "She'll be fine, but had we not gotten to her in time, she wouldn't have been." His eyes came to rest on Chun Li, who was trying to help calm Eliza. "I'll stay with her and make sure she's okay. I'll radio you when she's stable."

"Guile, when this is done, I'm never letting you out of my sight!" He looked at him intently. "Take care of her, okay?"

"Like she was my own mother," he said, patting Ken on the back.

When they had finished putting the stretcher inside the helicopter, Guile looked over his shoulder to see Chun Li avoiding his gaze. Ryu on the other hand was staring at him with barely concealed rancor. Frowning, he boarded the chopper and ordered the pilot back to base.

"Are you okay, Guile?" Eliza's weak voice snapped him back to attention.

He grinned. "Hey, that's my line," he chided kindly.

"I don't know how I can ever thank you for everything you've done," she told him.

For some reason, her statement reminded him of Chun Li. Trying not to think about it, he smiled at her and joked, "Well, Ken promised me your firstborn - his name anyway. That's a good start."

That managed to get her to smile. "Firstborn and secondborn too, if I'm okay."

For the next twelve hours Ken was a nervous wreck as he waited for news of Eliza's condition. "Ken!" Chun Li said, trying to calm him. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that!"

"What's taking them so long?" he said in an agitated voice. "I mean how long can it take to remove an appendix? I had mine out when I was five and I don't recall it taking half a day!"

"Yours probably hadn't burst like hers," she reminded him. "Eliza's in good hands, Ken. If Guile says she's going to be fine, I'd believe him. He's not one to make promises he can't keep." Seeing how Ryu looked at her, she wished she hadn't said that. Some of the tension between them had returned since Guile's brief appearance earlier that day. Ryu had gone back to being withdrawn, except to reassure Ken when he needed it.

"I am going outside for some air," Ryu announced, getting up. As he left the room, Ken jumped when he heard the radio come to life. "Hello?"

"It's me," Guile greeted brusquely.

"How is she?" Ken asked without preamble.

"She's doing okay," Guile said to his great relief. "It was a ruptured appendix and they took it out but her abdomen was a mess and they had to do a lot of irrigation to clean all the pus out. But, we've got her on IV antibiotics and she's on a morphine drip so she's comfortable now. The worst of it is over"

"Boy, am I glad you were still in Japan, Guile," Ken said with great appreciation.

"Well, had you called an hour later I wouldn't have been," he explained. Ken noticed that Chun Li pricked up her ears at this. "I was all set to board a plane for the US when they told me what happened."

"Sorry for messing up your travel plans, Guile. Next time you need a long relaxing vacation, give me a ring and I'll set you up first class anywhere you want to go, all expenses paid."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Guile said generously. "I'm going to stay a little longer so that I can make sure she's okay. Plus, I'm sure it'll be nicer for her if she knows someone here while she recoups."

He was pleasantly surprised at being reminded of how kind and thoughtful Guile actually was. "Guile, all I can say is, I wish I had a hot sister so I could give you her hand in marriage or something!"

A low chuckle rumbled from the other end of the radio. "Well, you better tell your parents to start getting busy. I'm not getting any younger, you know."

He laughed out loud at his joke. "You got it, man."

"I'll keep you posted on her condition. Guile out."


	23. Chapter 23: Cards on the Table

Falling onto his back, Ken breathed a huge sigh of relief and suddenly felt absolutely drained. He hadn't realized how wound up he had been with anxiety since the whole situation began. Finally able to relax a little, he rubbed his face in both hands and laid back. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was about four thirty in the morning.

"I'm glad she's okay," Chun Li said after a momentary silence.

"You and me both," he agreed. "Terribly useful, that Guile. Knowing he's running the show makes me feel a hell of a lot better. I guess he's making a hobby of saving pretty girls' lives." Outside, the spring air was perfectly still and the dojo was strangely quiet. Sitting alone with Chun Li, he couldn't resist prying a little, not just out of concern for Ryu, but also for her as well. "I can see why you two have been friends for so long. He plays the tough guy but he's got a good heart. I never would have believed he was such a nice guy if I hadn't seen it for myself."

She looked outside to where Ryu was seated, meditating. "Yeah."

"How long have you known him again?"

"Almost ten years." She didn't look away from Ryu.

Ken whistled, "Wow, that's a really long time. No wonder he's always so worried about you."

If Ryu knew about her night with Guile, being his best friend, there was no conceivable way that Ken didn't, and she really didn't feel like discussing the matter with him. Saying nothing, she hoped that by not engaging him in conversation he would drop the subject, but Ken either did not get the hint or he ignored it altogether.

"I'm surprised he doesn't have a girlfriend," he pressed on. "When's the last time he dated someone? It's a real shame he's by himself," he rambled. "I bet he doesn't have any problems with the ladies, unless his career got in the way of course, I don't imagine the Air Force gives him a lot of opportunities to meet people – "

Sighing, Chun Li's shoulders sagged as she realized that there was no avoiding this topic. "Ken, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but subtlety is definitely _not_ your strong suit."

Not realizing that he had been so completely transparent, Ken laughed awkwardly and cleared his throat a few times in embarrassment. "Okay, so I'm about as subtle as a toilet seat, but now that we've dispensed with the pleasantries, you may as well be frank with me. I just want to make sure that everyone's on the same page. I'd hate for you and Ryu to not work out because of a misunderstanding. Besides, who better than good old Ken to talk some sense into him?" He smiled his usual jocular smile.

Though he tried to keep it light, Chun Li knew that he was probably right. "What is it that you're getting at?" she asked warily.

"Oh, come on, Chun," he prodded, rolling his eyes. "You mean to tell me that in all the time you've known him, you never felt _anything_ for him? I mean, I know I'm a guy and all, but if I were a girl, I'd at least have thought about it once or twice, especially if he's so obviously in love with me. Not that Ryu's a bad egg. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy to death and all, but he's not exactly the greatest boyfriend material at this stage in his life."

Still unable to face him, she said, "I know. Eliza said the same thing."

"Oh, well if she said it, there must be some truth to it," he half-joked. "Look," he said, switching to a serious tone, "you know that I know what happened between you and Guile, so let's just get that out of the way, okay?" Even in the dim light he could see her neck flush upon hearing his statement. "It's not like I don't understand your reasons – I know it's been tough for you - but I guess what I'm worried about is if it's really Ryu that you want. I like you, Chun, but Ryu's been my best friend almost my whole life and I don't want him to get hurt if you're not sure. That's the only reason he acts so crazy all the time with you, because he's trying to protect himself from something. I just need to know that he doesn't have a legitimate reason to be so worried all the time." He waited for an answer but she said nothing. "Chun, look at me." When she finally met his gaze, he said quietly, "Is it really Ryu that you want?" When her eyes welled up with tears, Ken knew he had his answer. "Why? You barely know him. How do you know that this isn't just some passing fancy on your part?"

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she looked at the floor. "Don't you think I've asked myself the same questions? Of course I know it doesn't make sense. I have a man who's probably spent the last decade being in love with me who I can't feel anything for and I have another who I've barely known a month and he's driving me to distraction with his ambivalence!"

Unprepared for her answer, Ken blinked a few times. "Well, how _do_ you know?"

"How long have known Eliza?"

"Huh?" Unsure where this was going, he answered, "Probably about as long as you've known Guile, if not a little longer."

"And how did you know that she was the right one for you?"

"Uh-unnuh," Ken shrugged. "I just knew how I felt around her. After I met her, I knew that my life wouldn't be the same if she wasn't in it. Once you've had steak, it's hard to eat pork chops."

Giggling, it never ceased to amaze her how Ken could make people laugh at the strangest moments. "How long did it take for you to realize that?" she asked.

Thinking back to when he first met Eliza in college, Ken couldn't help smiling. "The first time I met Eliza, it was during a crazy T-storm and it was pouring rain. I swear like ten inches must have dropped in like an hour, and it came totally out of nowhere. Weather guy never saw it coming. So, I'm walking across the quads with my umbrella trying to stay dry when I see this girl just standing in the middle of the downpour – just standing there." He gave an incredulous laugh. "At first I was like, who is this crazy chick standing outside in the middle of a thunderstorm? So of course I've got to see what kind of person does something like this and I walked over to get a closer look. She had her face turned up to the rain and she looked so calm even though she was totally drenched and there was something about her that I just thought was so beautiful. She didn't even see me standing there watching her, she was so in her own world."

Chun Li couldn't help but be charmed by his story. "So what happened next?"

His smile was nostalgic. "Well, I knew right then and there that I had to go talk to her, so I closed my umbrella and just walked up next to her."

"And what did she do?"

Ken laughed. "Get this, when she finally sees me standing there, she got all surprised and was like, 'What are you doing?'"

She could picture Eliza doing that. "And then what?"

"I told her she made it look like so much fun I had to try it too. You know, when in Rome," he said.

She momentarily forgot her hesitation about the conversation and giggled at his funny line. "So what did she do after that?"

"Oh, you know how it is. Ladies can't say no to the Masters' charm," he joked. "Nah, she laughed and introduced herself and we took a walk in the storm. Didn't say anything, not a single word - we just walked together."

"That's so sweet. I didn't know that was how you two met."

Ken chuckled. "Yeah, you should have seen the looks on other people's faces, running around under newspapers and trash bags and here the two of us are, with an _umbrella_ no less, just totally soaked, and acting like it's a normal day."

Picturing the reaction of the people watching the pair, she found the whole scenario quite funny. "How old were you at the time?"

"We were both eighteen then. Ah youth," he mused.

Puzzled, she asked, "Wait. So, you've been together for like _twelve_ _years_ and you _just_ asked her to marry you?"

He shrugged again. "So I'm a little on the slow side," he said sheepishly. "That's what's great about Eliza, though. Even though I dragged this out for so many years, she never complained once or pressured me to make up my mind. She always gave me my space and knew that I cared about her without needing me to prove it by giving her a ring."

"So it was never really a question of _would_ you get married."

"No, I guess not. She just felt like a natural part of my life. And she doesn't mind the fact that I drive her crazy. Well, not enough to kick my sorry ass to the curb anyway," he said with wink.

"Have you ever had other girlfriends?"

Ken had to think about this one. "No, I guess not, but don't let that get out. Highly classified information. I do have a reputation to maintain. But no, seriously, Eliza was the first one and I guess I got lucky the first time around."

"How do you know having never been with anyone else?" she challenged.

"I had everything I needed under one roof. What difference does it make whether I dated one or a thousand? It would still be Eliza in the end. She just spared me the trouble."

Looking outside, Chun Li saw that Ryu was no longer there and hoped that he at least had gone back to her room to sleep. "I feel the same way about him," she explained. "He drives me crazy and I don't know much about him, but I do know how he makes me feel and when he pushed me away, I was half hoping that maybe being with Guile would cause me to wake up and finally fall for him. But it didn't. I just felt worse afterwards, and I hurt both of them for nothing." She hung her head at the last sentence. "I'd give anything to be able to undo what I did."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, kid," Ken admonished. "I know it hasn't been easy for you either."

"Do you think he could ever love me?" she asked timidly.

Ken's expression was thoughtful. "If you can bear with him through the worst of it, I think he definitely will." Standing up and stretching, he yawned, "Well I'm pooped. Better get going or Ryu's going to wonder what's keeping you."

Feeling much better, she bid Ken goodnight and went back to her room. Just as Ken had predicted, Ryu was sleeping on the mat in her room. "Ryu? Ryu? Are you awake?" She nudged him to see if he was, but the rhythm of his breathing continued unbroken. Lying down so that she was facing him, she pillowed her face on her hands and looked at his slumbering face for a while. Kissing him softly on the forehead so as not to wake him, she whispered, "I love you," before falling asleep.

A few minutes later, Ryu opened his eyes and looked at her as she slept next to him. The corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile and he gathered her into his arms before falling back asleep.


	24. Chapter 24: New Territory

At the American Military Hospital, Eliza was recovering after her surgery. Hearing a knock at the door, she sat up in her bed. "Come in," she called. Opening the door a crack, Guile stuck his head into the room and smiled at her. Waving him in, she returned his smile with a welcome one of her own as he pulled up a chair next to her bedside. "The man of the hour," she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

He was relieved to see that she looked so much better. "How's the patient doing?" he asked fraternally.

Eliza made a face. "Well, I'm pretty hungry – ravenous actually - but they won't let me eat yet, and what's worse, they keep coming in here every hour on the hour asking if I've passed gas out of my bottom. Why are they doing that?"

Laughing, Guile explained, "They need to know that your GI tract is working properly before they give you something to eat, so if you're really hungry, I suggest you drop the etiquette and break some serious wind." When she looked put off by the idea he smiled conspiratorially and said, "Don't worry, it'll be out secret. Patient confidentiality and all that. In fact if you feel some coming on right now, I can give you some privacy." The straight face that he kept when he made his joke caused her to laugh out loud and the sudden movement of her abdominal muscles sent a wire of pain through her.

Settling back in her pillow Eliza winced as another small dart of pain hit her side. "I'm sorry I'm being such a baby," she apologized with a small sigh.

Reaching over her, Guile pulled out a control that dangled idly by the side of her bed. "You might have been too out of it to remember, but this is for your pain. It's called a Morphine PCA. You push the button every six minutes or so and it delivers a dose of morphine directly into your IV. Like this. See?" He pushed the little red button and in a half minute, Eliza felt the pain subside.

Wishing she had known about it earlier, she hung it in a more conspicuous place. "Thank you, Guile. I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"Don't be silly," he said, winking. "We have to get you back into top shape so you can walk down that aisle, right?"

"Ken told you?" she squealed excitedly sitting up. The morphine had worked wonders. She beamed when he nodded. "Oh good!" She paused for a moment. "You're coming…right?"

She noticed a brief moment of hesitation before he agreed. "Yeah, of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world." The smile on his face however didn't quite reach his eyes.

Knowing that it was the prospect of having to see Chun Li, and possibly on the arm of Ryu no less that deterred him, Eliza debated broaching the subject with him but didn't know how to begin the conversation. Switching tacks, she asked, "Why are you still here in Japan? I thought you were headed back to the United States."

"I figured you could use some company," he said genially. "Why, are you fed up with my ugly mug?"

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "You're very sweet, Guile. Thank you."

"Yeah, well…" His voice trailed off and they sat for a few moments without saying a word.

"It's too bad you have to go," she said with genuine regret.

"I've probably outstayed my welcome," he reasoned.

As Guile fiddled with his dog tags, Eliza noticed that while he usually wore three, now there were only two. "How come you only have two tags now?"

Looking up at her, his face initially showed surprise but then he smiled approvingly. "Sharp girl. I'm surprised you noticed."

"Where's the third one?" Leaning forward, Guile showed the tags to Eliza and she could see that his name, date of birth and even his blood type were stamped on them. "O Negative," she remarked.

"Yeah, everyone's favorite," he said dryly.

"Why is that?"

He examined the ropey veins along his corded forearms. "Universal donor. Doesn't cross react with any of the other blood types, which is why people are always chasing us around asking us to donate. Unfortunately for me, I can only get blood from another O Neg." Indicating the tags again, he continued his explanation. "Usually you're issued two – one on a long chain and one on a much shorter chain. The long one stays with you to identify your body if you're KIA. The short one goes with your CO so that he can keep track of the body count. The third one belonged to my best friend, Nash. We were in the service together and he ended up being killed in the line of duty by Bison. That was the single biggest reason I became involved in the operation to stop Shadowlaw. I swore I'd never take it off until his death was avenged. Now that Bison's gone, Nash can finally rest in peace, so I felt it was time to retire his tag."

Hearing his story, she felt very sad for him. "I'm sorry about your friend, Guile. You must miss him a great deal."

"Sometimes. Nash was a great guy. I always thought of him more as a brother than a friend," he remembered fondly.

"It must have been very hard on you then when, he was killed," she said sympathetically.

"The first few months were really rough," he admitted. "I had to take a short leave of absence from active duty and I think I spent the first four weeks of it on a couch, just piss drunk all the time, trying not to think about it. I feel a lot better now though, knowing that it's all over."

"Do you have any other family?" she asked.

"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Only child. My mom divorced my dad when I was just a kid because she couldn't stand his workaholic lifestyle, so I don't remember her much at all. And my dad," he gave a sardonic laugh, "let's just say we were never all that close."

"Sounds lonely," she observed.

"Well, it was at first, but after Nash died, I was so busy chasing Shadowlaw that I didn't really notice it and I also met Chun –". He cut himself off in mid sentence.

"That's right you've been friends for a long time," she said, seeing a window of opportunity.

"Yeah, well, now that Bison's dead and Shadowlaw's probably finished, there's really no reason for us to work together anymore." Cracking his knuckles idly, he added, "We both got the closure we needed."

"You make it sound like it was just business."

He shot her a sidewise glance. "Eliza, don't."

"Don't what?" she echoed.

"Look." Guile rubbed his eyes wearily with his thumb and forefinger. "It's not that I don't appreciate the what you're trying to do, but it's nobody's business but my own, and I'm really not in the mood to talk about it." Looking at her seriously, he added, "I'm asking you not to go there."

Eliza folded her hands in her lap and said sadly, "I'm sorry, Guile, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. It just makes me very sad to think that after this, you'll just go back to being on your own."

He couldn't explain why, but her sincere concern for him suddenly made him feel very lonely. "Almost ten years," he said mournfully, putting his head in his hands. "I almost wish it had never happened. At least then I could keep lying to myself that someday there was still a chance. But after being with her, I know she'll never love me the way I want her to." The disappointment he felt was crushing.

Resting a hand consolingly on his arm, it hurt her to seem him so despondent. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to hold back your feelings for so long."

"You have no idea," he said with anguish. "What could she possibly see in him?" he demanded. "What does he have that I don't? Why does he deserve her love, but not me?"

"I don't think it has anything to do with what you did or didn't do, Guile," Eliza pointed out. "You're an amazing person but you and Chun Li just aren't a good fit for each other. But that doesn't mean the right lady isn't out there. I'm sure there are a ton of women who would give an arm or a leg to have the chance to be with someone as wonderful as you."

"I don't want a ton of women," he said morosely. "I just want her."

Her heart broke for him at the unfairness of it all and she wished that she could say something to make him feel better but she knew better than to patronize him with empty promises or clichéd words of condolence so she sat quietly. Finally, she spoke up and again. "Guile, I know you've already done so much for me, but could I ask you to do one more thing?"

His eyes remained on the floor. "Sure, what do you need?" he asked in a lifeless tone.

"Well, my father passed away two years ago from pancreatic cancer," she began.

"Oh, that's awful," Guile said. He knew how terrible the course and prognosis was for that particular disease. "I'm so sorry, Eliza."

Patting his hand, she said, "Oh it was a relief for us when he finally passed. It was harder on everyone to watch him suffer. But the reason I bring it up is because, since he's gone, I don't have anyone to give me away at my wedding. You saved my life and I can't think of anyone else I would rather have in his place."

Stunned, Guile asked, "You want me to walk you down the aisle?"

"Mm hm," she nodded. "Will you do it? Please say yes." She waited, a hopeful expression on her face.

He stared at her for a moment, unsure what to say. "I'd, uh, *ahem* be honored." He cleared his throat a few times and stood up. "Uh, get some sleep, Eliza. I'll – uh – I'll check up on you later."

"Thanks, Guile." She flashed him a genuinely happy smile. "I'm really glad you accepted and I bet Ken will be too. Good night."

Walking out of her room, Guile had to replay the conversation in his mind to make sure that she had actually said what he thought she had. Touched by her request, he figured he would have enough time to let his wounds heal before he saw Chun Li again at Eliza's wedding. Though it had been a difficult few weeks, he had to admit, he liked Eliza a great deal and Ken was growing on him as well and it felt good to see that they apparently felt the same. Smiling, he also began to feel extremely tired and was grateful that he would actually be able to fall asleep that night. Kicking off his boots, he laid down and sank into a deep, mindless sleep.


	25. Chapter 25: Naked

The next morning, Chun Li awoke feeling rested and refreshed. Turning her head, she gave a little start when she saw that Ryu was watching her his head propped up on one elbow. "How long have you been awake?"

"Maybe an hour," he said evenly. "_Good afternoon_."

She was confused. "_Good afternoon_? I thought it was _good morning_."

He smiled, amused. "It would be if it was morning, but it is actually two in the afternoon."

"Oh my god, is it really?" She sat up and looked out the door. "Wow, I must have really been passed out." Laying back down, she tried to get used to the feeling of being watched by him. "Have you been looking at me the whole time?" He nodded without saying anything. "Why?"

"Why not?" He lightly brushed her bangs off her forehead. "I like watching you sleep. It is very calming for me."

The way he was looking at her and the soft touch of his fingers made her feel a little dizzy. "Really?"

"_Truly_." Pulling her closer to him, he traced the curves of her lips lightly with his finger and said, "I have been thinking a great deal about everything that has happened. Especially since last night." Wondering where this was going, she began to feel nervous. "I was amazed at how angry I was when Guile returned briefly and I thought back to the night I saw the two of you together."

_Oh no, not this again_, she thought with dread. His voice was oddly calm though, in spite of the topic. She opened her mouth to say something but he softly put a finger on her lips, quieting her.

"This has not been easy for either of us," he continued softly. "I realized yesterday for the first time that as hard as this is for me, it was just as difficult for you. I do not know why it has to be this way, but you must be very important to me for me to behave so strangely. And I also can see now that I must also be very important to you."

The risks that he was taking in revealing this to her did not go unappreciated and she looked away as tears spilled over her cheeks. Taking her face in his hands, he forced her to look at him. "Do not look away from me," he said firmly.

It was unbearable having him stare at her so intensely when she felt so vulnerable and naked and she tried to pull herself together, but the warmth in his eyes made it impossible and she broke down helplessly under his penetrating gaze and began to sob in earnest. Feeling more exposed than ever before in her life, she fought him, begging, "Please, let me go."

Ignoring her plea, he began kissing her hungrily, tasting the salt of her tears as he did and he roughly tore her underwear off her hips. Watching her face, he began to tease her with his fingers, softly at first, gradually becoming more insistent. Ashamed at how he studied her reactions to his touch, she again attempted to avert her eyes but he took her jaw firmly in his other hand and forcibly turned her head. "I told you not to look away," he growled. His fingers continued to work feverishly on her clit and she bit her lower lip, trying to maintain her composure, but he could see that she was rapidly approaching orgasm. "Come for me, Chun Li," he breathed into her ear. A feeling unlike any she'd ever experienced tore through her body and she threw back her head as a gutteral cry escaped her throat. "_Good_," he whispered, as he watched her lost in the throes of her pleasure. Feeling her shiver from becoming sensitive, he pulled his hand away, which was completely coated with her fluids, and began stroking himself.

When she had calmed down somewhat, he laid on his back and pulled her head towards his dick and pushed his head against her lips. Taking him deep into her throat, she could taste herself as she caressed his shaft, then his head repeatedly with her tongue. Taking her head in both hands, he used her mouth roughly until he knew he was close. Pushing her face off his cock, he turned her on all fours and slid inside her. Then gripping her hips in both hands, he pounded into her and as he felt the first wave of her ecstasy hit, he gave an almost animal cry as he came violently inside her. Though he had finished coming, he remained hard, he was so aroused. Throwing her on her back, he stuffed his cock inside of her even as she was still coming and resumed thrusting. Looking into her eyes, he asked, "Do you love me?" Whimpering, she nodded, feeling the intensity building up inside her again. Grabbing her by the hair at the nape of her neck, he kissed her hard, never breaking his rhythm. "Say it. Say it as you come for me."

She snapped at his words and was barely able to whisper, "Ryu, I love you," as she exploded, digging her nails into the flesh of his back. He smiled to himself as every muscle in her body went stiff and he didn't stop until she began to cry softly.

Taking her in his arms, he gently kissed her eyelids before she buried her face in his chest and wept openly. He stroked her soothingly until her sobs subsided and said quietly, "I think…I love you too." She hugged him tightly to her at his admission and the pair laid together in silence, feeling more at peace than either had in a long while.


	26. Chapter 26: The Road Never Traveled

"She should be clear for discharge in a couple days," Guile's voice announced over the radio. "Just a few more days of antibiotics."

"Thanks, Guile, for everything," Ken told him.

Guile could hear his smile through the radio. "Don't mention it."

"Tell her I miss her?"

"Of course. We'll talk again soon. Guile out."

Ken turned off the radio and cracked his neck. Knowing that Eliza was safely out of the woods was a huge load off his mind. After not seeing her for a few days, he was really beginning to miss her smile, but he was looking forward to her returning to the dojo.

Ryu stepped into the room. "Ken, how is Eliza-_chan_?"

"She's doing pretty well according to the _foreigner_." He tried as much as possible not to use Guile's name around Ryu. Calling him a foreigner seemed to make it easier to take for his friend.

"I am glad to hear it." He held out his fist and Ken knocked his knuckles against Ryu's. His expression changed to one of curiosity. "Why do you not go and visit her?"

"Huh?"

"Do you not miss her company?"

He thought about it for a moment and said, "Well, of course I do, but it's not like it's easy to get to her."

"The _foreigner_ could take you to her, I'm sure," he pointed out.

Ken waved the idea away. "Oh, I don't want to cause him any more inconvenience than I already have." _And I don't want to be away in case you accidently have another bad dream around Chun Li_ he thought silently. Wanting to change the subject he asked brightly, "How's the memory problem coming along?"

"Good, except…" His sentence trailed.

"''Cept what?"

Ryu went to a window and looked outside, leaning his forearms on the windowsill. "It's strange. Everything has come back with the exception of my memories about _the girl_. Why would that be?"

_Good job, Ken. Nice change of subject. Well done, you big MORON_, he thought, kicking himself. "I don't know why that is," he lied. "But you're right that _is_ kinda strange."

"Mm," was his only reply.

"Speaking of girlfriends, how is that going?"

Ryu's features softened into a smile and he looked at Ken over his shoulder. "Very well. I am happy when I am with her."

"It's nice to see you enjoying life for a change, my friend," Ken grinned.

He looked outside again, still smiling. "She told me that she loves me, and I believe it. And I think I love her too. It is a strange feeling."

"Well, now you know what you've been missing all these years."

"Indeed. I can see why being with Eliza-_chan_ makes you so happy," he mused.

Ken joined his longtime friend at the window. "So what now?"

"I do not know," Ryu said with a sort of happy wonder. "For the first time in my life, I do not have a goal that involves only fighting. I suppose I will discuss it with Chun Li. She suggested that I open a martial arts center in Hong Kong in the building her father taught in."

"Sounds like a pretty sweet deal."

Ryu smiled again. "Perhaps. I find myself at times seriously contemplating giving up wandering the world to look for opponents."

"Never thought I'd see the day," Ken said incredulously. "The wandering warrior wants to settle down. How do you feel about that?"

"Many things. Happy, worried, doubt as to whether or not it is the right decision."

"Yep, sounds about right," he affirmed. "I'm really happy for you man."

Seeing that Ken was genuinely pleased for him, he gave him a playful punch that Ken neatly caught with his open palm. "_Thanks_, Ken. For everything."

Finding his way back to Chun Li, he located her in the center of the courtyard, performing Tai Chi. She looked so beautiful to him as she carried out the movements and she didn't notice until she'd finished that he had been observing her. "You have a nasty habit of watching me without making yourself known," she said with mock consternation.

He strolled casually up to her and put his arms around her waist. "I did not wish to interrupt." Her smiled warmed him almost as much as her welcoming kiss did.

"Still can't remember anything about me before the injury, huh?" she asked softly.

"No, I cannot."

She sighed and sulkily leaned her head on his shoulder. "How much longer do we have to be here? And poor Ken, doesn't he get bored without Eliza?"

Laughing, Ryu reminded her, "You forget that he and I spent months here doing nothing but training. We are used to this."

"Hm, hadn't thought about that," she admitted. "Have you given any thought to my suggestion?"

"I have given it much thought."

"And?" She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Though it makes me nervous, I suppose I can give it a try. I will simply trust that my memories of you will come back given more time, but I do not think I need to be here for that to happen." She squealed with delight and threw her arms around his neck. He chuckled and added, "But what if my students cannot understand me? I do not speak Cantonese or Mandarin."

"Nonsense," she argued. "First off, Hong Kong has a huge international population so as long as you speak English, you should do just fine. Second, now that you're with me, you'll have no choice but to learn some Mandarin, even if it means having Kung Fu movie marathons."

Her feisty attitude made him laugh again. Hugging her close to him, he countered, "Will you not learn Japanese? What if I wish to teach in my home country?"

"_Of course_," she said, winking, enjoying the shocked expression on his face.

"_You know Japanese_?" he said with disbelief.

She raised her hands in protest. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, just _a little__._"

Impressed that she was able to surprise him yet again, he asked, "Where did you learn it?"

"I watched a lot of anime as a kid." Her eyes danced with amusement at his shock.

"Then you have no excuse for not learning," he told her with exaggerated seriousness.

"_Hai_, _hai_," she joked back.

"Well, since we no longer have any need to stay at the dojo, I believe I will tell Ken that we can depart in the morning." He kissed her cheek affectionately. "What do you think of that?"

Grabbing him by his black belt, she tugged him eagerly behind her. "Let's get packing!" _Hurry! Hurry!_"

Seeing the two of them laughing together, Ken crossed his fingers on both hands and said, "Ryu, _please_ don't screw this up, man." Grinning, he went to go pack his things, knowing that Eliza was going to get a big kick out of this turn of events.


	27. Chapter 27: Realization

"Finished!" Chun Li announced triumphantly. Dusting her hands off she surveyed the packed bags with satisfaction and did a leaping somersault landing next to Ryu. Grabbing her, he threw her on her back and began tickling her, delighting in her giggles as she struggled to break free. Giving her a break, he lay next to her and kissed her nose as she caught her breath. Becoming serious again, she looked at him and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this? It's okay to say you're not comfortable with the idea if you don't want to."

"I am not sure, but I do want to do this," he answered honestly.

"That's fair," she said, smiling. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

Blowing out the candles that lit the room, Ryu laid down next to her and pulled the blanket over them. "Japanese lesson," he announced.

"Okay, what?"

"_Chu-shteh_?" He waited for her response.

Apparently that was not a part of her limited repertoire. "Sorry, not familiar with that one. _Sorry_!"

He smiled. "It means, 'kiss, please'." Suddenly a strange look flitted across his face.

Sensing a shift in his mood, she searched his face. "What is it?"

"I am not sure." He looked unsettled. "For some reason, I felt a strange feeling, like a memory, but not any particular thought. Just – a feeling. I cannot explain it."

"Maybe that means your memory about me will come back," she suggested hopefully. "_Chu-shteh_?" she repeated.

Again the strange feeling hit him, but he pushed it out of his mind, choosing instead to focus on how cute it was when she spoke Japanese. Rewarding her with an affectionate smooch, he spooned her and after feeling her fall asleep in his arms, he soon followed.

* * *

_"Mom!'_

_"Yes, Ryu?"_

_"I want to go to the park and feed the ducks!"_

Ryu was dreaming again of his childhood and his face showed that it was a pleasant dream.

_"Mom, kiss, please!"_

_"Hai, hai, Ryu!"_

The tranquil nature of the dream changed abruptly as the little boy in it felt his mother's hand torn from his. Looking up, he saw a red-haired giant gripping his mother by the waist as she screamed in pain. Then suddenly the woman raised her head and he saw that it was not his mother, but Chun Li who the monster was holding.

_"Ryu," she called out before her eyes suddenly went wide as a sick crunching sound was heard. She fell over onto the monster's fist, dead. The monster's eyes glowed a fiery scarlet as he looked down at the boy, still holding the dead woman. _

_"It is time. Awaken, Ryu!"_

"_NO_!!!" Ryu woke up screaming.

* * *

Trying desperately to defend himself, Guile attempted to knock Bison off his feet but he sneered and vanished, reappearing behind him. Caught off guard, Guile was an easy target and he staggered backwards in pain from the blows. When he raised his eyes, Bison had Chun Li's head in his fist.

_"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" he shouted_

_Bison gave that same leering smile. "Or what? What can you do you impotent, ineffectual worm?"_

_"Shut up! Chun Li!" Running towards Bison he did a somersault kick but was swatted away before his foot could connect. Picking himself off the ground, he tried to get his bearings. Looking up he saw that it was no longer Bison holding Chun Li's skull, but the strange red-haired giant that Ken had said killed his master. Looking directly at Guile, he smiled menacingly before crushing her cranium. Guile watched in horror as the contents of her head oozed between his clenched fingers._

"NOOOO!!" Guile sat bolt upright panting heavily, covered in sweat. Looking around his spare room, he remembered where he was but couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Grabbing the phone he hastily punched a number. "I need a helicopter prepped to go, now!" he barked even before the person on the other end had a chance to speak.

"Who is this?"

"Major Guile. I'll be on the airfield in two minutes." He was already pulling on his boots as he tried to cradle the phone against his shoulder.

"Sir, we don't have anyone at the moment to pilot the helico-"

"I'll do it myself!" he roared. "Just have it fueled and ready!" Throwing the receiver down, he ran out the door. He couldn't explain it, but the feeling was getting worse. "Please be okay," he said under his breath.

* * *

"Ryu? What's wrong?" Chun Li asked, alarmed by his cry.

Looking at her, he suddenly realized that his memory was now restored to its previous state and he was able to recall everything – his parents, their death, Gouki and his struggle with the _satsui no hadou_. He also remembered why he came to the dojo in the first place. Recoiling from her, he backed himself against the wall like a caged animal. "Stay back," he warned.

"Ryu, what's going on?"

"I remember now, why I am here." He looked at her with wild eyes. "I – I tried to kill you!"

"Only because of a dream," she said, trying to conceal the rising panic she was feeling.

Outside, the door slid open and Ken ran into the room. "Ryu! What's going on? Are you okay? I heard you screaming!"

"She is not supposed to be here!" he shouted at Ken, pointing at Chun Li. "I told you she was not to come here!"

"Ryu, calm down, man," Ken said firmly as he walked slowly towards him. _Shit, he remembers now_, he thought.

"Calm down? The _satsui no hadou_ nearly led me to kill her! I come all the way here in order to place her out of danger and I see her here and you tell me to calm down?!" His voice was rising with every sentence. He turned to see Chun Li staring at him with fear in her eyes. As if reading her mind, he told her, "I cannot go with you, I am sorry. It is too dangerous for you."

"Let me be the judge of that," she implored. _Please don't do this to me again_, she begged him silently.

"I am dangerous! You cannot be with me!"

"Then let me help you, Ryu," Chun Li pleaded. "I'm not afraid of you. I love you." Her voice caught in her throat as she said it.

The sadness that Ryu felt in seeing her so upset only agitated him further. "I cannot love you back. I am sorry."

"Ryu, please." She ran to him and tried to put her arms around him.

"Get away!" Rearing back as if burnt by her touch, he threw her off him and ran out into the night. Chun Li simply remained in a heap where he had thrown her, her heartbroken sobs the only sound in the stillness.

Ken looked at the unfortunate woman and clenched his fists. "This isn't over, Chun. I promise," he told her as he ran after Ryu. Stepping outside, he wsa nearly blinded by a bright halogen light that was accompanied by the whir of propeller blades. He shielded his eyes with his hand as the chopper set down in the courtyard. When his eyes had adjusted, he saw Guile jump down. "I didn't know you could fly one of those," he said incredulously.

"You should get to know me better," he said irritably. "Where's Chun Li? Is she okay? Is she alive?!"

"Uh, she's in there, Guile," he replied, pointing in her direction. "She's alive, but I don't know if she's okay-" Before he even finished the sentence, Guile had taken off. _What is with everyone tonight_, he wondered. Shaking his head with frustration, Ken sighed, "Ryu, _why_ do you have to make this so complicated?" Hoping to catch up to him, he began running and doubled his pace.

Running into the room, Guile found Chun Li curled up in a corner staring at the opposite wall. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he shook her, asking, "Are you alright?" Slowly, she turned to him and when she realized who it was, her face crumpled and she began sobbing anew. Relieved that she was actually alive, he hugged her tightly but his relief was quickly replaced with anger as he saw the distressed state she was in. "Did he do it _again_?" he snarled. She made no answer but only cried harder. Leaning her gently back, he ordered, "Wait here." Cracking his knuckles, he went to find Ryu.


	28. Chapter 28: Recognition

As he knew he would, Ken found his friend hunched over Gouken's grave, brooding in the dark. Coming up behind him, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, man-"

Ryu didn't bother to look up. "Leave me alone."

"No way, Ryu. I'm not going to just sit back and watch you self destruct." Ryu remained silent. "She really cares about you, you know."

"_That is not my concern_!"

Anger boiled up inside Ken. "_Shut up!__ It absolutely is your concern, you idiot_! Of course it matters!" Hearing Ken shout so vociferously caused Ryu to finally look up. "All these years, you've been wandering all over the world, and all you think about is fighting and training and I've never understood why but I always kept my mouth shut. But now you-"

"YOU WORTHLESS FUCKING COWARD!"

Both men whirled around but not fast enough before Guile was already on top of Ryu. He got in a few punches, but once Ryu recovered from his shock, he threw Guile off and leapt to his feet. Ken jumped to his side and assumed a defensive posture. Glaring at Guile, he said warningly, "I do not wish to fight you."

Cracking his neck loudly, Guile responded, "Good, that makes it that much easier for me to beat the living shit out of you."

"Guile! Hold your horses, man!" Ken tried to intervene.

"Why do you wish to fight me?" Ryu asked him, puzzled.

Fists clenched at his side, Guile shook with rage. "Do you have any idea how much you've hurt her? Do you have any fucking idea at all? How could you be so cruel?!"

A pang of guilt cut through Ryu. "It cannot be helped. It is in the interest of her safety that I cannot be with her."

"That's a load of horseshit and you know it!" Guile accused. "You can't do it because you're a fucking coward! It has nothing to do with her safety. That's just an excuse you can hide behind to avoid what you're really afraid of!" Ken looked at his friend, to see his teeth clenched.

"I am _not_ afraid of her!"

"No, you're just afraid of how she makes you feel. You don't have the courage to face the prospect of losing her so you toss her aside!" Ryu's fists slowly lowered to his sides. Guile's fury was mounting with every word he spoke. "She's never loved anyone like she loves you. Do you have any idea what that means? I'd give anything to have her look at me the way she looks at you, but I'm not the one capable of making her happy. Only you can do that, and I told you once before, if you hurt her, I'd kill you, and you did. So if you have no intention of doing the honorable thing, then I'll fucking kill you right here!"

The enormity of Guile's love for Chun Li touched Ryu. "You really do love her…"

For the first time, the anger drained from Guile's voice. "Yes, I do." His voice was tinged with sadness. "But she doesn't love me, not in the way that I want her to, and she never will, because that gift belongs to you and it pisses me off that you're ready to throw away something I've spent so many years longing for. But it doesn't matter whether she loves me or not. I want her to be happy, and if that means being with you then so be it. If you don't love her back, that can't be helped and I wouldn't blame you for what you did, but I know that you do care about her."

Ryu looked at the ground, feeling ashamed. Unable to meet Guile's gaze, he asked in a soft voice, "How can you tolerate it?"

"Tolerate what?"

He felt his breath catch in his chest. "With the fear that comes when you realize you can lose her forever? The pain that is caused when she is hurt?"

A rueful smile crept into Guile's lips. "Sometimes I think it is the most difficult thing anyone can do, to tolerate that pain in order to feel the joy that seeing the other person happy brings."

"I am a fighter by nature, and my greatest enemy now is this evil Hadou. My primary focus now must be to defeat it. I cannot change who I am for her," Ryu explained.

Guile walked to Ryu and put his hand on his shoulder. "Why do you fight? To prove to yourself that you're strong? You don't fear physical pain or even death, so becoming the strongest fighter in the world doesn't necessarily make you a strong person. Your greatest opponent isn't this Dark Hadou – it's your own fear of experiencing the pain you have now. Wandering the world looking for a fight may keep you safe from that, but if that's all that you are, then I'm very sorry for you, my friend. Overcoming weakness doesn't always necessarily involve your fists." Walking away, he added, "Don't throw this away, Ryu. Have the courage to tolerate a different kind of pain."

Tears welled up in Ryu's eyes. Sinking to his knees, he felt like he would choke on his own breath. "_Shit_!" he swore, slamming his fist into the ground.

"He's right, you know." Ken squatted down by his friend. "You've always been the better fighter…" Ryu looked up in shock at his admission. "…but that's because if being better than you came at the cost of not being able to be with Eliza, it didn't matter enough to me for me to give her up."

Groaning, Ryu put his head in his hands. "Guile is right. I _am_ a coward. All these years thinking that I was doing what I could to overcome my weaknesses and all I actually did was avoid what made me afraid. I feel so ashamed."

Ken helped him to his feet. "Maybe that's the root of the _Dark H__adou_. Maybe that's the weakness that allows it to control you. But now that you know what the real problem is, maybe things will be different." Ryu nodded mutely. "So what will you do now?"

Setting his jaw, he replied, "I must be stronger than my fears. I cannot run any longer."

Clapping him on the back, Ken grinned, "Attaboy! Come on, I know a certain someone who's going to be real happy to see your ugly face." Even Ryu had to smile at that.

Upon reaching the dojo, both men were horrified to find that it had been razed to the ground. A badly battered Guile lay on the ground amongst the still smoldering rubble. Dropping to his side, Ryu shouted, "What happened?"

"That thing…" Guile said weakly. "He took…Chun Li…tried to stop him… he's too strong-" Unable to complete the sentence, he lost consciousness.

"Ken! Get him to safety, I must find her before Gouki does something terrible to her." He ran into the forest, praying he wasn't too late.


	29. Chapter 29: Final Round

Racing up the mountainside, Ryu's worst fears were confirmed when he saw Gouki waiting for him, a limp and bleeding Chun Li hanging from his oversized fist, a large smirk on his otherwise impassive face. "Chun Li!" Ryu called out to her.

She lifted her head slightly at the sound of his voice. "Ryu…" His name was barely a whisper. Suddenly he was four years old again and watching his mother die.

The rage that was becoming all too familiar began to grow inside him. "_Demon_! Let her go!"

Gouki's teeth glinted in the dim light as his smile grew wider. "It has come full circle now, has it not, Ryu? Will you watch and let her perish as you did your mother? Or will you fight me?" Clenching and unclenching his fists, Ryu felt the same helplessness he'd experienced the day his parents were killed. Sensing his indecision, Gouki pressed on. "Killing your parents was nothing for me," he laughed. "And this one, a few seconds is all that is required for her to join them." He smiled as Ryu became visibly angier. "She has made you weak. Now release your _Dark_ _hadou _and awaken the darkness within you." He began to squeeze his fist, and Chun Li fought from crying out, but the pain in her face was undeniable.

A strange glow began to surround Ryu. "I'll kill you if you hurt her any more," he swore. His eyes began to glow a menacing shade of red.

"Yes, kill me. Release your own demon and unleash it on me." The _devil_ continued to put pressure on Chun Li's rib cage. "Will you let me rob you of everything? Your mother, your father, Gouken, and now, this woman. Are you so afraid that you will do nothing? Pathetic."

The anger he felt was consuming him. Pulling back his arms, energy began to collect between his hands.

"Ryu, don't!" Chun Li pleaded.

"I will not let you die!"

"How touching," Gouki scoffed.

"Ryu, you musn't!" She muffled a scream as Gouki tightened his grip a bit more.

"But you will die if I do not stop him!" he said, his voice cracking with grief. "I cannot let that happen! I will not!"

"_Shinryuken_!"

Ken charged Gouki, attempting to free Chun Li. Though he fought with everything he had, Gouki swatted him away with little effort, never relinquishing his grip on his captive. With a loud bellow he punched Ken with such force that he smashed through five trees before bouncing unconscious off the sixth. He landed heavily on the ground with a loud crash.

"Ken!" Not knowing what to do, he looked back at Chun Li.

She smiled softly in spite of her pain and met his eyes. "Ryu, don't lose yourself because of me. If the price of my life was your soul, I'd never forgive myself."

"But I cannot be without you." The energy was continuing to grow between his palms. "I cannot – I cannot watch you…die," he said, his voice breaking.

Tears gathered in her eyes and she smiled again. "Knowing that you cared is enough for me. Have the courage to resist it. Don't let him win."

"Enough of this insipid chatter." Gouki's voice was contemptuous. "Whether you open yourself to the evil within you or not, she dies regardless." Lifting her high above his head, he prepared to crush her skull into the ground.

He thought back to the time they had spent together since coming to the dojo and how in that short span he had come to love her so fiercely. _I must not be afraid, I must not be afraid_, Ryu told himself over and over. Looking at Chun Li's face, he whispered, "I love you," before launching everything he had at Gouki.

Ken regained consciousness to the sound of a loud explosion behind him. Grimacing with pain, he tried to make out what had happened, but there was too much smoke and debris. When the air cleared, he could see Ryu sitting in the middle of what looked like a large impact crater. "Ryu!" Running over to his friend, he saw that he was cradling Chun Li's body in his arms. She wasn't moving. "Did you do it? Did you use the _Dark H__adou_ to kill him?"

Ryu turned to meet Ken's gaze, his eyes filled with tears. "No, I did not." He looked down at Chun Li's face and softly stroked her cheek. His tears began to fall on her face. "But I wish I had died rather than see her like this. I wanted her to know how sorry I was. I was so foolish and wasted so much time. And now it is too late."

Ken had never seen him look so fragile or dejected. "Ryu…" For once, he was speechless.

Cradling her body to him, Ryu gave in to his tears and began sobbing in earnest. "Forgive me, please forgive me," was all he could repeat over and over.

Staring at the ground, Ken's heart broke for his friend's sorrow. One of Chun Li's hands lay limp against the ground. His heart stopped for a moment when he thought he saw her finger twitch. "Ryu!"

"Chun Li?" Ryu looked incredulously at her face as her eyes fluttered open. "You're alive?" Overwhelmed with joy, he hugged her tightly.

Wincing, she chuckled softly. "Not so hard, Ryu. I think he broke a few of my ribs."

"_Sorry_!" Ryu apologized, hastily loosening his hold on her.

Ken punched his fist into the air with triumph. "Yeah! Ryu 1, Gouki 0! Come on guys, let's get you to a hospital."


	30. Chapter 30: Life Anew

Guile opened the door to the hospital room to find Chun Li lying in bed, with Ryu watching her intently from his chair. Sweeping some flowers from behind his back, he presented them to her with an exaggerated sweep. "For you, my lady." Turning to Ryu, he patted him on the shoulder. "Glad you decided to stick around, my friend."

Chun Li stuck her tongue out at him. "Is this your doing? Now he won't let me out of his sight!"

"I am sorry. I worry," Ryu said simply.

"I can take care of myself, you know," she reminded him.

"Maybe," Ryu conceded.

Guile threw back his head and laughed. "So now the mantle of responsibility passes on to you." He tousled Chun Li's hair. "Good riddance, she's a pain in the ass anyway."

Chun Li stuck her tongue out at him again in rebuttle. "You're not totally done yet," she warned.

"Eh?"

"Well," she continued shyly, "Ryu has asked me to marry him…" Guile's mouth fell open. "…and since my father is no longer living, I was wondering if you would do me the honor of giving me away."

His jaw dropped even further. Twice in one week? Not knowing what to say, he cleared his throat loudly a few times. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, if you're married in a different ceremony than Eliza, that is. She already booked me for hers."

"Guile, are you getting sentimental on me?" she teased in a lilting voice.

"What a load of crap!" he spat. "I'd be more than happy to be rid of you! You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that? My hair _still_ hasn't grown back yet!" Even Ryu grinned at that one.

She giggled, knowing how he really felt. "Well, as long as you don't mind," she said, attempting to smother her laughter.

Dropping his bravado, Guile bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "I don't mind."

"_Please pardon the intrusion_!" Ken hobbled in on a pair of crutches followed by Eliza and presented Chun Li with another bouquet. "Looking good, Chun. Hospital food agrees with you, huh?"

Eliza gave her a light hug. "Ignore him," she said rolling her eyes. When Ken shot her a look, she added, "Don't sulk, honey."

"Perfect timing," Ryu said. "The best man and maid of honor are both here."

"The best – hey now!" Ken said wiggling his eyebrows as he got the joke. Dropping his crutches, he hopped over to Ryu on one foot and began grinding his knuckle into his hair.

Eliza hugged Chun Li gingerly again. "Sweetie, I'm so happy for you!"

"Will you be my maid of honor? You've been so great to us throughout this whole thing."

"I'd be delighted," she smiled. Looking at her bound ribcage, she asked, "How do you feel?"

Looking over at Ryu, he winked at her almost imperceptibly. "Never better," she replied.


	31. Epilogue

It was once again the beginning of the _hanami_ season and many familiar faces had gathered at Maruyama National Park to watch Ryu and Chun Li marry, and when the couple finally exchanged vows and kissed, the guests erupted into cheers.

At the reception, Honda was attempting to devour as much sushi as possible since Ken had generously offered to pay for _fatty tuna_. Guile, his hair now grown back to its former glory, looked quite sharp in his crisp white tuxedo jacket. A very interested Cammy was attempting to flirt with him, squeezing her breasts together in her low cut bridesmaids' dress as she conversed. Sakura sat glumly on a chair, her chin in her hand, mournfully watching Ryu and Chun Li.

Many of the guests who had been invited had known either Chun Li or Ryu through their mutual interest in fighting, and this was the first time so many had gathered in one place for a reason other than a tournament, but the jovial competitive spirit was plain to see. On the dance floor, Yun and Kiyosuke were battling to see who was the better break dancer as a circle of women clapped enthusiastically. Off to the side, Dan and Joe Higashi arm-wrestled as the other guests egged them on. Knocking Dan's hand onto the table, Joe raised his arms in victory and shouted, "_Alright_!" With a huge grin, he pulled down the back of his pants and gleefully mooned the red-faced Dan before sitting back down. Behind him, Terry was collecting the winnings of his bet.

"Hey, you cheated!" Dan complained indignantly.

His smile disappeared and Joe sat up instantly, knocking his chair backwards with a loud crash. "Say that again to my face," he growled menacingly, clenching his fists. Dan grinned nervously and scratching the back of his head, he mumbled something about needing to use the restroom and scurried away.

A Japanese man with extremely long jet-black hair wearing traditional Japanese robes greeted the bride and groom with a deep bow. "_Congratulations, my honored friends_." His voice was rich and very deep.

"_Arigato_, Haohmaru-_sama_," Ryu said, bowing in return. "Chun Li, this is my old friend, Haohmaru. Haohmaru, may I present my wife, Chun Li."

"_I am very pleased to make your acquaintance_," he said formally, bowing again. His English was heavily accented, but his diction and grammar were perfect. She could see why the two men were friends. He had the same anachronistic demeanor as Ryu, except that while Ryu did wear western clothing from time to time, Haomaru never wore modern dress.

"Haohmaru had the great misfortune of being born four hundred years too late - the last true _ronin_ remaining in all of Japan," Ryu had explained to her. Apparently the man was descended from an illustrious line of samurai that traced their lineage all the way back to Musashi Miyamoto, the legendary Japanese swordsman famed for never having lost a fight. Haomaru took his name from a distant relative who had lived in the late 18th century that apparently had a reputation for being somewhat rough around the edges, which was probably why he got his name. Ryu described him as a being very much like Toshiro Mifune in Kurosawa films.

Chun Li bowed and replied, "The honor is all mine. Ryu has told me so many amazing things about you."

He bowed again and said affably, "I am certain than Ryu-_sama_ has been overly generous with his praise."

"How are you enjoying the reception?" Ryu asked.

He gave Ryu a large grin and adjusted the two _swords_ tucked in his obi. "The sake is not too bad," he said diplomatically. Ryu knew that was one of the few things that he was extremely particular about. Had he not held him in such high regard, Haohmaru probably would have brought his own. Usually his sake bottle hung conspicuously from his belt or his sword. "Eh?" He looked over to his side to find an enraptured Sakura staring at him, her hands clasped together in wonder. "_Is something the matter_?" he asked quizzically.

"_Amazing_!" she whispered, drinking in the magnificent sight of him. "Ryu, won't you introduce me to your fabulous friend?"

Ryu blinked. _Oh, shit_, he thought to himself. "Ah, _um_, Haohmaru-_sama_, this is Kasugano Sakura." He mentally apologized to his friend for what he knew would inevitably follow.

"_Very_ pleased to meet you," she squealed, barely able to contain her enthusiasm. "I didn't know that samurai still existed!"

Haohmaru appeared confused by her sudden, rapt attention and looked at her from under raised eyebrows. "Ryu-_sama_," he said uneasily, "I believe I will pay my regards to Honda-_sama_. If you will excuse me," he apologized, bowing. His _geta_ clacked smartly on the ground as he strode over to the sumo wrestler. Without taking her eyes off him, she trailed dreamily in his wake, a lovesick expression on her face. Glancing over his shoulder and seeing that she was still following him, Haohmaru noticeably quickened his pace.

Sliding her arm through Ryu's, Chun Li said with a laugh, "Well, if she has her way, his bloodline will definitely continue, at least for another generation, anyway. Haohmaru is in a _lot_ of trouble."

"Indeed," Ryu said, as he watched the burly samurai attempt to escape the tiny Sakura's attentions.

Ken strolled up to his friends, leading a very pregnant Eliza. "Is that H-Bomb?" he said pointing at Haohmaru. Ken only called him that because he knew it annoyed him to no end, which basically meant that he used it every chance he got. Looking closer he added, "And is that _Sakura_ chasing him around?" He hooted and slapped his hand to his forehead. "Man, it's a good thing you're off the market, Ryu. I don't know who to feel sorrier for."

"Eliza-_chan_, how are you feeling?" Ryu asked.

She patted her tummy and smiled. "It's been a rough third trimester," she laughed. "I think he takes after his dad. He's been kicking nonstop for the last few months."

Ryu's best man grinned. "Gonna be a chip of the old block. _Tatsmatsu_ _sempukyaku_!" he called into her belly.

"Have you settled on a name?"

Grinning at Eliza, Ken replied, "Yeah. Shogyoku Ryu Ken Masters."

Ryu balked at the length of the name. "What made you pick that name?"

"Cause then my kid is going to be ShoRyuKen Masters."

When he got the joke, Ryu actually laughed out loud. "What about Guile? You promised him to name your first child after him."

Ken waved his arm nonchalantly. "Guile's cool with it. He thought it was funny too." Remembering why he came by in the first place, he added, "Hey, man, you gotta throw the garter belt. All the guys are waiting."

"_Gah-tuh bel-toh_?" Ryu looked confused. "Why?"

"It's an American thing," he explained. "Whoever catches it is the next one to get married."

"Oh," he said finally understanding. "So that was why you threw it at your wedding."

"Yup, although I don't think it worked all that well for Honda," he laughed, watching him annihilate the buffet table. After being told what it was for, the large man had been so pleased when it fell into his fat fingers, he had chased half the female guests at Ken's wedding, not realizing that the effects were not necessarily immediate. Fortunately, they were all able to outrun him without much difficulty.

Taking Chun Li by the hand, Ryu led her to the pavilion that had been set up for the wedding party. As the crowded catcalled and chanted, Chun Li obligingly lifted the hem of her wedding dress and allowed Ryu to slide the garter off her thigh. He winked at her before standing and facing the hopeful bachelors behind him.

"It's all me, baby!" Dan called out. "Come to Papa!"

"Over my dead body!" swore another guest.

"_Ready_?" Ryu twirled the garter on his finger.

"Oh throw it already!" another impatient bystander shouted.

Pulling the garter back like a rubber band, Ryu shot it into the crowd. Being full two heads taller than everyone else present, Guile effortlessly plucked it out of the air.

"Hey! No fair, man!" Dan objected.

"Shut up, shrimp," Guile said, stuffing the garter into the lapel pocket of his tuxedo jacket.

"My turn!" Chun Li shouted. A group of women were already pushing against each other before the men had even evacuated the spot. Turning her back to the crowd she launched her bouquet into the air. Chaos ensued as a sea of women surged forward to grab the flowers, but it was a very attractive blonde who claimed the prize.

"Julia!" Eliza shouted with glee. Her sister beamed and waved the bouquet aloft. A shadow suddenly loomed over her. Turning around, Eliza was surprised to see Guile standing there.

"Hey, Eliza, I was wondering, uh, that is, if you might, you know, if it's not too much trouble-" he was mumbling indistinctly.

"Guile, spit it out already!" she laughed.

Letting out a big sigh, he said very quickly, "I-was-wondering-if-you'd-introduce-me-to-your-sister." Cringing, he looked at her with one eye screwed shut.

She smiled remembering her own wedding and how Guile was absolutely taken by her sister, but had never said a single word to her. "Why didn't you just say so?" Eliza giggled and waved her sister over. "Guile, I'd like you to meet my sister Julia. Julia, this is our very good friend Major Guile, formerly of the United States Air Force."

"The gallant Major Guile who saved your life?" Julia flashed him a dazzling smile. "I just adore men in uniform!" she cooed. "Pleased to meet you."

Guile turned a violent shade of fire engine red that contrasted sharply with his blonde hair. "Uh, yeah, you too," he muttered.

Seeing Chun Li's garter protruding from his pocket, she nodded towards it and said, "I guess we're next, eh, Major?" Guile just stood there with his mouth hanging open. "Well, no time like the present," she said gaily. Grabbing his arm, she chirped, "Come on, soldier, let's dance." As she pulled him along, Guile looked over his shoulder at Eliza, a dazed grin on his face.

Chun Li laughed as she watched the two of them on the dance floor, his hulking frame towering over her. "I think Guile's met his match," she joked.

"I forgot to warn him that she's the headstrong one in the family," Eliza said with a chuckle.

Putting his arms around Eliza, Ken predicted, "I see a lot of very large blonde babies in their future." That caused everyone to burst out laughing.

"Poor Julia! Think of the labor pains!" Chun Li said with amused horror.

"Then he would be your brother in law," Ryu added observantly.

"Oh crap, you're right!" They laughed even harder.

They stifled their amusement as Julia sauntered back to the group, Guile in tow. "Hey, sis, I found him, can I keep him?" That did it. Everyone howled at her joke.

"I don't know, can you?" Eliza asked, giggling.

"And how!" Hooking her slender arm through his ginormous one, she said, "Come on, Flyboy. I think I need a drink." As they left, Guile mouthed a silent "thank you" to Eliza, which nearly made everyone collapse.

"I can't breathe!" Ken huffed, gasping for air between laughs.

The sound of shouts and boisterous cheers drew their attention and they looked in the direction of the commotion to see Honda and Haohmaru engaged in a friendly drinking match. The only thing friendly about it, however, was the spirit in which it had been started. Sake cups littered the ground around them, a testament to their tolerance. With his stomach padded with so much _oh-toro_, Honda had assumed that he was a shoo-in to win, not to mention that he was easily more than twice Haohmaru's size. Taking the tiny porcelain bottle in his meaty hand, he poured yet another round and pushed the cup towards Haohmaru.

"Three to one, my money's on the samurai!" Kiyosuke called.

"I'll take that bet!" Terry shot back.

"Against a _sumo wrestler_? Put me in, too!" Yang shouted.

Raising their cups, they bowed to each other, tilted their heads back and draining the sake in one shot, they chucked their respective cups casually over their shoulders and grinned across the table at each other. Haohmaru sat with his back completely straight and seemed relatively unaffected by the copious amounts of liquor he had ingested. Honda on the other hand began to teeter, his face turning so red that it became difficult to distinguish where the kabuki paint ended and his skin began. Smiling inanely, he managed to hiccup "_Well done_!" before falling face down on the table. The crowd behind them went insane.

Standing up, Haohmaru bowed to the inebriated sumo wrestler and poured himself a refill. Raising the cup in Honda's unconscious direction, he said, "_Cheers_!" and drank to his honor as the onlookers applauded vigorously. Sakura looked as if she would faint any minute after watching the remarkable display, but scowled when a skimpily clad Shiranui Mai, in her usual mammiferous glory, sashayed over to his side and sat next to him. She did note that on the bright side, he paid absolutely no attention to her whatsoever. Nonplussed, Mai moved on to Fei Long, who had come dressed in traditional Kung Fu clothing, apparently completely aware of how fabulous he looked.

"Pay up, losers!" Kiyosuke shouted triumphantly to an annoyed Terry, holding out his hand. Terry angrily slapped a few _million_ _yen_ into his palm. Yang reluctantly followed suit, glaring disgustedly at the snoring Honda. "Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen," he simpered with a smug smile as he pocketed the money. "Thanks a lot man," he said, patting Haohmaru on the back as he walked by.

Haohmaru looked up from his sake. "_What_?"

Ken punched the air with his fist. "Alright, it's party TIME! Come on, Babe, let's cut a rug!" He led Eliza back to the party

Chun Li laughed and kissed her husband. ""This is going to be one very long night."

_fin_

* * *

_geta_: traditional Japanese sandals made of wood


End file.
